Celtic told to improve offer after Paderborn reject €4.7m bid for Mika Baur

Celtic have been dealt a clear message from Paderborn: if they want Mika Baur, they'll have to dig deeper. Sporting director Sebastian Lange confirmed that the Scottish club's €4.7 million (£4m) proposal for the 22-year-old midfielder has been turned down flat. Baur, a Germany U21 international, has been on Celtic's radar for weeks, with reports suggesting personal terms were already sorted. But Paderborn, freshly promoted to the Bundesliga, are in no mood to let one of their key men go cheaply. Lange didn't hold back when discussing the bid, telling NW Sport via The Daily Record: "It's nonsense. I have no idea where this stuff comes from. Have there been offers? Yes. Are there offers right now? No. Why not? Because we rejected them all." He added that Paderborn are no longer reliant on transfer income since climbing back to the top flight. "We are no longer operating at a loss. We aim to finish the Bundesliga season with a profit, too. We are no longer dependent on transfer revenue like we were in the 2. Bundesliga." Celtic have already been active this summer, bringing in Qarabag forward Camilo Duran for €5.5m and agreeing a club-record €12.9m deal for Bodo/Glimt striker Kasper Hogh. But to land Baur before Deadline Day, they'll need to return with a significantly improved package. Lange made it clear that the offer was dismissed without a second thought: "We didn't have to think twice during this transfer window." When pressed on whether the €4.7m bid would have set a new club-record sale for Paderborn, Lange confirmed it was rejected on both sporting and financial grounds. "Ultimately, we decide what is of interest to us. And everything that came in was, from a financial standpoint, of no interest to us whatsoever."