Celtic manager Martin O'Neill confirmed on Friday that central midfielder Arne Engels has been the subject of interest from teams in England this summer.

The Northern Irish head coach, however, has revealed that West Ham United have not come close to reaching the club's valuation of the Belgium international.

It was reported in July that the Hoops are looking for a fee of £25m for the central midfielder, amidst interest from West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace.

Those teams will now have to meet the club's valuation of the former Augsburg talent if they want to prise him away from Parkhead in the coming week.

How Arne Engels exploded at Celtic

The Belgian star was signed from Augsburg for a fee of £11m in the summer of 2024, which was a club-record deal up until Kasper Hogh's move to the club for more than £11m last month.

Engels was not a superstar at the time of his move to Glasgow, despite the mammoth transfer fee, as he was a bit-part player during his last full campaign in the Bundesliga.

The 22-year-old talent only scored three goals and provided two assists in 32 appearances in the German top-flight, before signing for the Scottish giants for £11m.

Celtic provided him with the platform to start more matches in a team that gave him more opportunities to showcase his talent at the top end of the pitch, given that they consistently win the Scottish Premiership and dominate matches.

After two years at Parkhead, Engels could be sold for a £14m profit if any of the aforementioned sides opt to meet the club's demands in the coming weeks.

Celtic ready to go big on their next Arne Engels

Now, the Premiership champions are eyeing up a move for a player who could follow in Engels' footsteps to explode as a star in Glasgow this season.

The Scottish Sun reports that Celtic are still pursuing a deal to bring Haissem Hassan to Parkhead from Real Oviedo before the end of the summer transfer window.

A fee of up to £10m, with an initial fee of £7m, is said to be required to secure his services, as the LaLiga 2 side push for big money for their winger.

The report reveals that the Hoops are prepared to bid big in their efforts to sign the Egypt international, and it is now down to them to make an offer that is big enough for Real Oviedo to accept.

Hassan would be a risky signing for the Hoops because he is fresh off the back of providing three assists and failing to score a single goal in 37 appearances in LaLiga last season.

The 24-year-old attacker, however, only started 20 of those 37 games and was playing for a team that eventually got relegated from the division, which meant that he was not given the ideal platform to shine as a forward player.

Hassan's rank among LaLiga wingers on per 90 metrics suggest that his performances were better than his overall output suggested, as he ranked highly on several creative metrics per 90.

He racked up 3.22 xA and recorded three assists in his 30 starts in LaLiga, which is far from a terrible return given the situation that he was in at Real Oviedo.

The lack of goals is a concern, of course, especially as he also only scored four goals in 39 appearances in LaLiga 2 for Real Oviedo in the 2024/25 campaign, and that is something that he will have to work on.

Engels, though, was not a prolific scorer or creator during his time at Augsburg before he exploded onto the scene in Glasgow in a dominant Celtic side that allowed him to flourish in possession.

Hassan could follow in his footsteps and shine in a similar fashion, in a different position, by making the most of having more of the ball at the top end of the pitch in a Celtic side that are constantly tasked with breaking down low blocks.

Therefore, it is a risky transfer pursuit for the Hoops, given his lack of proven end product, but so was the Engels deal and that has worked out brilliantly for the club.