Former Celtic star Nicolas Kühn played a role in convincing Mika Baur to complete his move to Parkhead.
Baur finally became a Celtic player this week after the Hoops reached an agreement with Paderborn over a deal worth an initial £4.5 million, potentially rising to £6.8 million with add-ons.
The German Under-21 international had been desperate to make the move to Glasgow, with personal terms agreed with Celtic weeks before the two clubs finally managed to settle on a transfer fee.
Celtic were eventually able to get the deal over the line in time for Baur to be included in their Champions League squad.
And the midfielder has revealed that he sought advice from a former Celtic player before making the decision to move to Scotland.
Baur shares an agency with Nicolas Kühn, who spent 18 months at Celtic before leaving for Como last summer.
Kühn had his best spell in Glasgow during his first full season, establishing himself as an important attacking player before making the move to Italy.
And Baur admitted that a conversation with the German winger left him convinced that Celtic was the right move.
He said:
“I’m in the same agency as Nicolas Kühn so I called him to ask a couple of questions and he was so positive.
“He said, if you have the chance, just do it.
“He couldn’t explain it because, he said, you have to feel it, but he told me it was incredible.
“And after the call with him, I was sure.” [Celtic Player]
It is another interesting link between two German players who have now made the move to Parkhead.
Kühn left Celtic last summer after a great spell at the club, but the Hoops were unable to find a direct replacement for his attacking output.
That remained the case throughout the January transfer window.
Now, Celtic will be hoping Haissem Hassan can finally fill that void.
The Egypt international is a left-footed winger who can operate from the right, giving Martin O’Neill the kind of profile Celtic have been missing since Kühn’s departure.
Baur, meanwhile, arrives with his own reputation and a strong desire to make an impact.
His determination to join Celtic was clear throughout the negotiations, and it seems a fellow countryman who had already experienced life at Parkhead helped remove any final doubts.
Kühn may have left Celtic more than a year ago now, but he has now played a small part in helping the club land their latest midfield addition.
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