Augsburg head coach Jess Thorup has more or less confirmed that Arne Engels will depart the club ahead of this evening’s transfer deadline.
Celtic have reportedly agreed a record-breaking £11m fee with the Bundesliga side for Engels.
The player himself flew from Munich to London late last night to complete his medical, and is now due in Glasgow to complete the move.
It has been a great day for the 20-year-old, who has also received a senior Belgium call-up for Nations League matches against Israel and France next month.
Brendan Rodgers wanted him to replace Matt O’Riley and looks to have snatched the highly-rated talent away from Thorup. The Augsburg boss didn’t want to part ways with Engels but admitted the decision was out of his hands.
“It’s great how Arne has developed”, he said (Ronan Murphy on X).
“I don’t think I made the final decision, it’s up to the club and the player when you get an offer like that. As a coach, you sometimes have to live with it.”
Celtic bringing in Engels in a record-breaking deal is a real statement of intent.
The club have been rightly criticised for how late they have left things this summer, but one cannot complain about the fees they are shelling out in the closing hours of the window.
