Transfer rumour · archive

Arne Engels to Nottingham Forest

Quiet since 8 June 2026. Last report: Anthony Joseph. Probability when it went quiet: 6%.

Nottingham Forest have shown concrete interest in Arne Engels, the 22-year-old Belgian midfielder currently at Celtic, but as things stand this is no more than that. Forest have had bids rejected, including a £25m offer, and the figures being discussed stretch up to £34.8m. Engels is contracted to Celtic until June 2028, so the Scottish club hold the cards and have already said no once. The move is live, not done, and not dead either. The reporting traces back to Anthony Joseph, a reliable voice, who notes that several clubs hold genuine interest and that Forest's bids were turned down. Crucially, he frames the rejected bids as a sign the situation remains active rather than closed. That said, this is currently a single credible thread rather than a chorus of corroboration, so the sourcing is solid but thin. That reflects a deal stuck at the earliest stage: interest declared, money offered, money refused. For it to move, Forest would need to close a sizeable gap between their rejected £25m and Celtic's evident valuation, while seeing off the other interested clubs. With no agreement and a long contract protecting Celtic, the odds are deliberately low. Celtic have form for cashing in at this level: they sold to Brighton for £25m, and to Al-Ittihad for £25m in 2023. A fee in the £25m, £34.8m bracket would sit squarely in keeping with how Celtic price their best assets. Watch for Forest returning with an improved bid that meets Celtic's number, and whether a rival firms up first.

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