Jürgen Klopp Praises Mika Baur's Move to Celtic and Germany Call-Up

Jürgen Klopp has hailed Mika Baur’s decision to swap the Bundesliga for Celtic as he rewarded the midfielder with a first senior Germany call-up.

The 22-year-old is one of the standout surprise names in Klopp’s maiden squad, a sprawling 44-man selection split across two separate groups. One pool will face the Netherlands and Greece. The other is set to meet Serbia and Greece.

Baur is in that second group and will join up with the national team from September 28.

Klopp, speaking to STV Sport, made it clear this wasn’t a token gesture. He has already spoken directly with the Celtic midfielder about the bold move to Glasgow.

“I consider him really exciting,” Klopp said. “He’s absolutely up for it. We also spoke on the phone about the weather in Glasgow – something I know well from Liverpool. With this move, he’s taken on a very challenging step.”

It is that willingness to embrace the challenge that appears to have caught Klopp’s eye. Baur left newly-promoted Bundesliga side Paderborn in the summer for around £6million after playing a central role in their successful 2025/26 campaign, where he was close to ever-present.

He has wasted no time settling into life under Martin O’Neill. Baur has already forced his way to the heart of Celtic’s midfield, pushing experienced summer signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the starting XI in recent weeks.

There has been end product too. Earlier this month he scored the winner against St Johnstone and walked away with the man-of-the-match award. Days later, he went the full 90 minutes in the heat of a Glasgow Derby, as Celtic fell to a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Germany have tracked Baur for some time. He has previously featured for the under-21s alongside Said El Mala, Finn Jeltsch and Brajan Gruda. All three, like Baur, have now been elevated by Klopp.

If Baur steps onto the pitch for his senior debut, he will write his name into a small but notable chapter of Celtic history, joining Andreas Thom and Andreas Hinkel as German internationals to have worn the Hoops.