Celtic could accept £6m bid for new Arne Engels

Celtic central midfielder Arne Engels has already been the subject of much speculation, less than a month into the summer transfer window.

The Hoops still have just under two months left to make a decision if they want to keep hold of the Belgian international, who has attracted interest from several Premier League teams.

Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are all said to be pushing to drop the central midfielder to the Premier League before the end of the season.

However, the Scottish Premiership giants want a huge fee of £25m for the midfielder to move from Parkhead, and it remains to be seen whether any of them will be prepared to pay that price.

Celtic could make a huge profit by raising £25m for Augsburg this summer, with a club-record £11m fee paid to Augsburg in the summer of 2024.

Celtic’s £6m bid for new midfielder likely to be accepted

Losing the Belgian star in the coming weeks will be a huge blow as he poses a threat in a midfield role, having scored 17 goals and provided 21 assists in 98 appearances in all competitions.

But the Premiership champions are already considering who could arrive at Parkhead as Engels’ perfect replacement for next season.

According to Football Insider, Celtic are one of the teams interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Alfie Devine in the summer transfer window.

According to the newspaper, the Premier League side are willing to cash in on the 21-year-old’s talent and are willing to accept bids of up to £6 million.

He added that Preston North End, who took him on loan last season, did not exercise their option to sign him permanently for £4.5m, so the Hoops could end up offering him £1.5m on short notice, more than what was accepted.

Football Insider has revealed that Martin O’Neill is the driving force behind clubs’ interest in the English youngster, with a £6m transfer fee seen to be within reach for the Scottish giants.

How Alfie Devine could become Celtic’s next Arne Engels

Celtic will need to bring in a player who is a threat in the middle of the park, both as a scorer and as a goal creator, if Engels lose to a Premier League side before the end of the game.

That’s why Devine, once hailed as “outstanding” by journalist Josh Bunting, would be the perfect signing for the Premiership side this summer, as he becomes O’Neill’s new Belgian ace.

Their respective performances at league level in the Championship and Premiership last season show that both players possess similar qualities in midfield.

Devine’s eight goals and six assists against Preston, who finished mid-table in the Championship, shows he has the qualities to be a player like Engels in Celtic’s midfield.

He has the desire and quality to run forward and support attacks in goal, while also having the vision and passing ability to create quality chances for his team-mates, creating three more ‘big chances’ than Engels last season.

Devine spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Westeroe, scoring six goals in 30 professional league games, and at academy level he scored 13 goals in 49 games for Tottenham’s Under-21s, showing that his goalscoring performance at Preston was no flash in the pan.

The Celtic star and Spurs’ youngster have incredibly similar numbers defensively, including duels won, tackles and interceptions made, suggesting that Celtic won’t weaken their side in possession with this deal.

Winning the race for the £6m star would therefore make the board receptive to offers from the likes of Palace and Sunderland for Engels. That’s because they already have replacement players.

That’s why the club should pay the asking price of £6m to bring him to Parkhead in the coming weeks, as the midfield ace could be a mainstay for O’Neill next term.