The €100m transfer domino that could help Celtic complete perfect signing

14 Aug 2026 14:03 BST | 4 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Celtic have reached a full agreement to sell Arne Engels to West Ham United for a Championship record transfer fee and the Hoops are expected to dip back into the market in order to find a replacement.

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Martin O’Neill’s side confirmed the signing of Paderborn star Mika Baur on Thursday, but reports indicate that another central midfield option will be pursued before Deadline Day, with the likes of Gvidas Gineitis (Torino), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split) and Ermin Mahmic (Slovan Liberec) all on the club’s radar.

However, having already spent €30.6 million on four new signings so far this summer, the best option for Celtic may actually prove to be a loan deal.

The Bhoys are already in advanced talks over a loan move for Chelsea academy starlet Landon Emenalo, who is viewed as a rotation option to Kieran Tierney at left-back, and a smart idea may be to also kickstart negotiations to sign fellow Blues star Dario Essugo.

Current ETV

Dário Essugo

DM, M (C)

Chelsea

Dário Essugo

DM, M (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€18.1M - €22.2M

Analysis: Dario Essugo to Celtic makes perfect sense

Essugo joined Chelsea from Sporting CP last July, but he endured an injury-hit debut campaign at Stamford Bridge and was restricted to just five first-team appearances across all competitions.

The 21-year-old is now back to full fitness and despite playing a prominent role in pre-season, it would be wise for Chelsea to finalise a loan deal in order to ensure he receives the game time required to continue his development.

The Blues don’t have European football this season and with a limited fixture schedule on the horizon, minutes may be hard to come by for Essugo, who is likely to be behind Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Valentin Barco, Romeo Lavia and Jordan Henderson in the pecking order.

However, with Enzo Fernandez tipped to join Manchester City, Chelsea may only allow Essugo to depart if they finalise the signing of a new midfielder before Deadline Day.

It’s understood that several players are on their radar, with Bournemouth star Alex Scott regarded as their primary target. Marco Rose’s side have zero interest in selling the England midfielder, and have already rejected one offer from Chelsea, but the Blues may look to lodge a fresh bid worth up to €100m. And if Scott secures a move to west London, it could lead to Essugo departing on loan.

Several clubs in Europe will undoubtedly be interested in Essugo if he is made available, and Celtic should seriously consider a move.

With Engels leaving for West Ham, the Scottish giants need a new central midfielder and while Essugo struggled with injury issues last term, he displayed flashes of quality whenever he was on the pitch.

The Portuguese midfielder shares several similar traits to the aforementioned Caicedo, and signing an energetic partner for Callum McGregor, to replace Engels, should be viewed as a priority for the Celtic hierarchy before Deadline Day.

Furthermore, data analytics experts SciSports believe that Essugo would immediately become Celtic’s best player if he were to join the club this summer, and he is even rated higher than Engels.

So, if Chelsea are able to finalise a deal for Scott before Deadline Day, Celtic could do far worse than pursuing a loan move for Essugo.