Celtic Smash Transfer Record to Sign Kasper Hogh
Celtic have moved decisively in a summer that demanded a statement. According to the Daily Record, the Scottish champions have agreed a club-record deal to sign Bodo/Glimt striker Kasper Hogh, a move designed to jolt a restless support and rearm a squad that stumbled its way to a fifth straight title.
Martin O'Neill, now in permanent charge and tasked with a rebuild after a deeply underwhelming campaign, wanted a flagship forward. He has his man.
Record Fee for Top Target
Hogh was the name at the top of Celtic’s list for this window, and the board have gone all-in. A package worth £11m plus add-ons has been agreed, a fee that will eclipse the £11m paid for Arne Engels two summers ago and install the Dane as the most expensive signing in the club’s history.
The 25-year-old is expected in Glasgow in the coming days to undergo a medical. If there are no late complications, he will sign a long-term deal at Celtic Park and walk straight into the role of centrepiece in O’Neill’s new-look attack.
At 6ft 1, Hogh offers presence, but this is not a signing based on physique alone. His reputation has been built in Europe, where he drove Bodo/Glimt’s eye-catching Champions League run last season. Six goals in the knockout stages, against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester City, turned heads across the continent and convinced Celtic that he was worth waiting – and paying – for.
They had tried before. A January move was close, only for Hogh to stay in Norway as Bodo/Glimt pushed deep into Europe. Celtic walked away then. They have come back now with more money and even greater need.
Maeda Out, Hogh In
The timing of the deal is no coincidence. Agreement for Hogh arrived as Celtic confirmed the £10m sale of Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town, a significant outgoing that clearly helped clear the path for their second signing of the summer.
Maeda’s departure removes energy and versatility from the front line, but it also underlines a shift. Celtic are banking on Hogh, and on fellow summer recruit Camilo Duran, to supply the goals and cutting edge that last season’s side too often lacked.
This is not tinkering. It is a recalibration of the attack.
Pressure at the Top
Celtic may have finished the 2025/26 campaign as champions, but the mood around the club told a different story. Performances stuttered, momentum wavered, and the title felt more like an escape than a coronation. Inside the club, nobody pretended otherwise.
Across the city, Rangers have sensed opportunity and moved aggressively. The arrivals of Hearts trio Derek McInnes, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland have signalled serious intent to close the gap and, in their eyes, flip the balance of power.
Celtic had to answer. Slowly, and then suddenly, they have.
With Hogh leading the line and Duran adding further threat, O’Neill will go into the new season with the kind of firepower that can silence doubts and reassert control at the top of Scottish football.
The title was retained last year. The question now is whether this record-breaking gamble turns survival into dominance again.
