Celtic supporters can be forgiven for not knowing much about Mika Baur, but the Paderborn midfielder is no random punt pulled from the bottom of a scouting database.
His last season was good enough to earn promotion, international recognition and the attention of the Scottish champions.
Celtic have reportedly agreed personal terms with Baur, although talks with Paderborn still need to produce a club agreement.
The easy description would be to call the 22-year-old another attacking midfielder and move on. That would sell Baur badly short because much of his best work comes from deeper areas.
Baur played 2,667 league minutes as Paderborn won promotion, scoring four goals and creating five assists. He was also voted the club’s Player of the Season, which tells Celtic fans far more than any highlights reel.
Mika Baur’s route towards a Celtic transfer
Baur was born in Salem, Germany, in July 2004 and joined Freiburg’s academy in 2018. He went on to make 61 appearances for Freiburg’s second team without making a competitive first-team appearance.
He moved to Paderborn in 2024, but a loan spell at Dynamo Dresden followed in January 2025 and helped him get regular football back into his legs.
Baur returned to Paderborn and nailed down a place in the middle of the park. He became a key figure in a promotion-winning team instead of another young player drifting between the squad and the bench.
His progress also earned him a Germany Under-21 call-up in November 2025. He later made his debut against Northern Ireland, coming on as a holding midfielder.
The best and worst Mika Baur stats for Celtic
Bundesliga expert Derek Rae describes Baur as a central midfielder who is strong with both feet and capable of playing deep or further forward. He also highlighted his vision, set-piece deliveries and understanding of when to press.
The strongest parts of Baur’s 2025/26 league numbers back that assessment up. The numbers show clearly why Celtic are chasing him.
- 48 chances created and five assists from 4.65 expected assists.
- 84.2 per cent passing accuracy from 1,287 completed passes.
- 95 accurate long balls with a success rate of 52.8 per cent.
- 141 recoveries, 43 tackles and 36 interceptions.
- 21 possessions won in the final third, showing he will press rather than admire his work.
There are also numbers that Celtic fans should not ignore. Baur is a promising midfielder, not some finished superstar arriving to run the show from day one.
- Only 11 of his 44 shots hit the target, despite scoring four times.
- He won 47.7 per cent of his duels, so he is not a midfield bruiser.
- His dribble success rate was 36.4 per cent from 33 attempts.
- Only three big chances created from his 48 chances overall.
- Just 32 touches in the opposition box, underlining that he does most of his work away from goal.
None of those figures should scare Celtic off, but supporters should know what type of midfielder they are looking at. He is not a dominant ball-winner, a flying dribbler or a midfielder who regularly hurts teams inside the penalty box.
Celtic appear to be chasing a two-footed midfielder who can take the ball in tight areas, switch play and press when possession is lost. Paderborn still have to agree to sell, but Baur’s promotion season makes Celtic’s interest easy to understand.
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