Paderborn sporting director Sebastian Lange has revealed the club have already turned down approaches for several players this summer, including Celtic’s reported £4 million bid for midfielder Mika Baur.
The Scottish champions remain keen on the Germany Under-21 international as they look to strengthen Martin O’Neill’s squad, but Paderborn are standing firm over one of their prized assets following an impressive campaign.
Lange insisted the Bundesliga side are under no financial pressure to cash in and stressed that every offer received so far has fallen well below the club’s valuation.
He told NW Sport: “It’s nonsense. I have no idea where this stuff comes from.
“Have there been offers for players during this transfer window? Yes. Are there offers right now? No. Why not? Because we rejected them all. There are sporting and financial reasons for this.
“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.”
Asked directly about Baur and the reported Celtic offer, Lange explained that Paderborn never seriously considered accepting any proposal during the current window.
He said: “We didn’t have to think twice during this transfer window.
“There are a few players (we have received offers for). And that’s nothing unusual. There were even players involved whom you wouldn’t expect. Four to five. That includes players from the U21 squad. It’s not as if we have offers for four key players.
“I don’t want to name names, because I don’t want to spoil the market for one or two of them. For SCP, the transfer fee alone isn’t the deciding factor anyway; rather, a transfer has to make sense both financially and in sporting terms.
“We have a squad valuation that we calculate internally using a specific formula. There is a sporting value and a financial value.
“The question is: How important is the player to us, and can we actually strengthen the squad? Because only then does it really make sense to let a player go. We want to improve.
“It’s independent of any departures. We want to strengthen the squad either way. And, ideally, keep all the players—or almost all of them.
“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. We can work with different figures.
“Our job remains to stay calm. But we are certainly noticing right now that the transfer rumour mill is starting to heat up. And that’s only going to increase. We have a long, intense period ahead of us.”
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1 Comment
All the while Baur remains a player under contract, with his German club. There isn’t to much we can do, especially as we haven’t a clue about what there valuation upon Baur is at present?
So the waiting game will continue, which potentially effects Hatate as a result, moreso than Engels imo?
Class it as similar to whether it would make financial sense to ourselves, in even considering letting Engels go, with a CL qualification game looming?
Wouldn’t say Hatate is too high within the plans of MoN for this coming season. Especially with him, making it known he is looking to move on?
That doesn’t bother me, if he’s going to produce to his standards, to potentially attract other suitors, for our benefit?
Even if he possibly couldn’t be trusted for the longer term of a season ahead?
Baur has made it known that he’s hoping to join us?
Which is possibly a big requirement MoN is looking for, within incoming players?
If this German club are willing to keep hold of an unhappy player, then good luck to them?
We seen the results of holding onto unhappy players last season, and it hardly benefited ourselves as a result imo?
Still think a deal will get concluded eventually?
Still wonder if a swap deal for Baur and Hatate could be in the making?