Celtic has turned down a substantial bid of approximately £17 million from Nottingham Forest for their Belgian midfielder, Arne Engels. This news comes after Forest's initial offer of £14 million was also rejected, indicating their strong interest in the 22-year-old player.
Engels made his move to Celtic in August 2024, signing from the German club Augsburg for £11 million. Since then, he has made an impressive 89 appearances across various competitions, contributing to Celtic's success by helping them clinch both the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup in the previous season.
Interim manager Martin O'Neill commented on the situation following Celtic's 2-0 victory over Falkirk, expressing his surprise at the bids. "Honestly, I am telling you, I didn't know anything about it," he remarked. He further noted, "If they have, then they must have done it during the game. And I would want it rebuffed unless it was £100 million. Then I think the board would step in there. No, absolutely, I would rather keep him."
Both Celtic and Nottingham Forest are gearing up for the upcoming Europa League play-offs scheduled for this month. Currently, O'Neill's team sits in second place in the Premiership, trailing six points behind the leaders, Heart of Midlothian, while Forest finds themselves struggling at 17th in the Premier League standings.
