The Scottish Premiership champions were holding out for a £25 million fee for their star midfielder but the Belgium international’s desire to make the move saw them sanction a slightly lower deal.
Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen played an integral role in landing Engels' signature and could feature in their Sky Bet Championship curtain-raiser against Burnley on Sunday should he be registered by the EFL’s 12pm deadline on Saturday.
The 22-year-old is set to become their fourth summer addition following the arrivals of Keiber Lamadrid, Joel Veltman and Manor Solomon.
The latter two were brought through the door this week, joining from Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, with Engels adding to a depleted midfield department due to Tomas Soucek’s injury and Mateus Fernandes’ departure.
The Hoops signed Engels in the summer of 2024 for £11 million from FC Augsburg and is set to become the most expensive sale from Scotland’s top tier, surpassing the £17.5 million Ipswich Town outlayed for Sindre Walle Egeli last summer.
Brugge brilliance but limited impact
Engels began his career at Gent before signing for Club Brugge in 2015 and, despite progressing through their youth ranks, he never made his first-team debut.
Nonetheless, aged 16, he appeared in the UEFA Youth League during the 2019/20 campaign before becoming a regular for their reserves side, Club NXT, in the Belgian First Division B.
He flirted with first-team football but failed to secure his breakthrough, subsequently departing his homeland for Augsburg at the start of 2024.
Starring in the Bundesliga leads to Celtic move
Engels’ move to southern Germany proved to be an inspired decision, being thrown into their first team from the off despite having never experienced regular senior football.
Such inexperience didn’t faze the youngster though, as he notched three goals and two assists from a deep-lying midfield position, with his standout performances being recognised with his nomination for the Golden Boy award.
Securing his first call-up to the Belgian national team following another impressive campaign, Engels was unsurprisingly a man of interest, but it was Celtic who landed their man on Deadline Day in 2024 to replace Brighton-bound Matt O'Riley.
A league and cup double followed in his maiden campaign and he recorded the best attacking numbers of his career in a more advanced position thanks to ten goals and 12 assists, which made the £11 million outlay look like a bargain.
He was equally integral in their nail-biting title pursuit last term as they edged past Hearts on the final day to clinch their 56th Scottish crown.
Fending off interest from Nottingham Forest in January following several failed bids, Engels may have registered fewer goal contributions compared to the previous campaign with a total of 14, but his influence as an all-action midfielder in the middle of the park was immense.
Implications of the transfer
The Hoops expected interest from elsewhere this summer after two productive seasons at Celtic Park but would only sell for the right fee.
Engels started in their league opener against Kilmarnock on Sunday, a 5-1 annihilation, where he played the full 90 minutes.
They hoped to keep hold of him until the end of their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign, which commences with a two-legged tie against Austrian outfit LASK, but Engels was keen to make his move across the border.
West Ham submitted several bids for the former Belgium youth international and the deal seemed to have hit a standstill until the £22 million fee was agreed.
They had earmarked Stade Rennais midfielder Jordon James as a potential option if the deal for Engels didn’t come to fruition, but they are now closing in on their man, hopeful he could play a part at Turf Moor this weekend.
