West Ham United are confident of completing a move for Celtic midfielder Arne Engels in a deal worth around £22million.
Nils Koppen, West Ham’s director of player recruitment, has played a key role in pushing for the 22-year-old’s signature.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say Koppen, appointed in July, rates Engels highly and viewed him as a top transfer target.
Since joining Celtic from Augsburg in 2024, Engels has scored 17 goals across 100 appearances. He helped the Scottish club seal back-to-back league titles and has also won the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
“I think Arne’s a great player,” Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain told reporters in Celtic’s pre-match press conference earlier this month. “He’s young so still has a lot of improving that he can do which shows his potential is massive. He’s a great engine and can run all day. He’s got good qualities on the ball and he can score goals. You can see what a good player he is. I’m sure his future is very bright.”
Engels, who made his debut for Belgium in 2024, would bolster West Ham’s midfield, adding to Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek, Soungoutou Magassa, Mohamadou Kante and Lewis Orford.
Engels would become West Ham’s third summer signing following the arrival of Joel Veltman on a free transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion and the £5m addition of Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham start their first Championship campaign in 15 years on Sunday with a trip to Burnley.
