Celtic have reportedly made a bold transfer move in with RecordSport claiming the club have offered a pre-contract deal to Xaver Schlager.
The 28-year-old midfielder is set to leave RB Leipzig at the end of the season after the Bundesliga club confirmed earlier this week that Schlager has rejected the offer of a new contract.
With his current deal expiring in the summer, the former Red Bull Salzburg and Wolfsburg player is now free to negotiate with clubs outside Germany.
According to reports, Celtic are so far the only club to have formally placed a contract offer on the table for next season, however this remains sketchy. Given the calibre of player involved and the competition expected for his signature – is it something we’re trully chasing?
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Schlager, who transfermarkt value at around €10m, is no fringe figure. He is closing in on his 50th cap for Austria national football team, a milestone he is expected to reach next month.
He is also projected to be a key part of Austria’s plans for the upcoming World Cup, which furthers his profile heading into a critical period of his career.
The appeal is obvious for Celtic. Schlager is an experienced, high-intensity central midfielder who has operated at Champions League level and in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues.
Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill (left) during the William Hill Premiership match at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Sunday February 1, 2026.
His pedigree would instantly raise the floor of Celtic’s midfield options and send a strong message about intent, particularly with questions continuing to swirl around long-term squad planning.
That said, realism has to temper the excitement. Schlager is already being linked with clubs in England and Italy, and the financial packages available in those leagues are likely to dwarf anything Celtic can reasonably offer.
World Cup exposure only strengthens his hand, potentially opening the door to an even more lucrative contract elsewhere.
If Celtic have indeed made a concrete pre-contract offer, which we still aren’t completely sure on, it deserves credit. Too often the club have been accused of lacking imagination or ambition when opportunities at the top end of the market arise. This is not a low-risk punt or a development project, it is a genuine statement attempt.
