(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Tue 5 May 2026 20:45, UK

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Nottingham Forest will never get a better chance to secure the signing of long-term target Arne Engels from Celtic.

The Reds came within hours of landing the midfielder on deadline day in the January transfer window, as they saw three separate bids rejected by the Glasgow giants at the eleventh hour.

The third of those offers even reached as high as £25million for the 22-year-old, but Celtic were adamant that they couldn’t afford to lose the Belgian in the middle of the campaign.

However, speculation surrounding a potential exit from Celtic Park has refused to go away since then, and Forest appear to have been handed a glowing chance to land him ahead of next season.

Forest want to strengthen their squad across the board to push back up the Premier League table next term, and Engels is a player who remains firmly on their radar.

Arne Engels preparing to leave Celtic

Football Insider revealed in February that Forest still have Engels on their shortlist of strong candidates heading into the summer, despite their failed attempts to sign him in the winter.

The East Midlands outfit are not deterred by their previous failure, and are planning to launch another move for the former Augsburg men when the summer window opens.

They may have been expecting another battle on their hands to get hold of Engels, but the latest suggestion from Parkhead seemingly indicates that it could be somewhat easier for them this time around.

A move away from Celtic has already been “planned” by Engels and his camp, according to Florian Plettenberg, with interest from RB Leipzig, plus clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga.

That looks set to hand Forest the perfect opportunity to secure his signature, as the player and his agent will surely now be keen to do everything in their power to make a deal happen.

Celtic will likely be forced to give in to player power now that Engels wants to move, and Forest could yet have the pull of Champions League football on their side next term.

Nottingham Forest to get Engels deal done for reduced fee

Football Insider also revealed in February that Celtic will “definitely” accept a lower fee than the £25m offered by Forest this time around, due to the lack of urgency involved.

The Reds were willing to spend big money on the midfielder due to their immediate need to plug a gap in that area of the squad, while they also knew that they would have to sweeten the deal significantly for Celtic.

However, with that urgency not present in the summer window, the Bhoys have already accepted that the chance to net £25m will not arise for them again.

That will be music to the ears of Forest, who will surely now be quietly glad that their initial pursuit failed back in January.

The stars seem to be aligning for them to get Engels just months down the line, and likely for a reduced fee than what they were willing to pay previously.