Mika Baur has celebrated promotion two seasons in a row [Getty Images] Celtic have signed German midfielder Mika Baur from Paderborn for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old, who has signed a four-year contract with the option of another year, helped Paderborn end a six-year absence from the Bundesliga after finishing third in the second tier last season. Salem-born Baur had joined Paderborn from Freiburg, where he played for their second string, two years ago. He made 36 appearances last season, including their play-off win over Wolfsburg, scoring four goals and providing six assists. Baur ended the previous season on loan to Dynamo Dresden and helped them win promotion to Bundesliga 2.
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Handball's loss was football's gain as Baur chose a different sport to father Markus, who made 228 appearances for his country as he helped Germany to Olympic silver in 2004 and world championship gold in 2007. So far, Baur Jr has played for Germany at every level up to under-21s and will hope moving to Celtic helps him make the step up to the senior side. Moving to Scotland may seem an unusual choice given he had the opportunity of playing in his country's top flight for the first time had he stayed with Paderborn, or moved to another Bundesliga club. Baur did make match-day squads as a youth after coming through the youth ranks with Freiburg without making the breakthrough. Indeed, he credits his experience on loan to Dynamo Dresden last year for his breakthrough season with Paderborn - that together with advice from a mindset coach and the arrival of Ralf Kettemann as head coach. Having started as a winger then attacking midfielder, the diminutive, two-footed Baur was used more as a deep-lying playmaker with a style similar to Rangers' Nicolas Raskin. It helped steer Paderborn to their greatest success since the turn of the millennium.
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