Celtic eye Borussia Dortmund's Cole Campbell as club's first major summer signing

Celtic look set to make their first major signing ahead of the summer transfer window, with reports in Germany suggesting that the Scottish Premiership giants have set their sights on an intriguing young prospect. According to Sky Germany, Celtic have held initial talks with 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger Cole Campbell. The German publication claims that the United States talent has been put up for sale by the German club, following a loan deal with Hoffenheim last season not working out, and the Sinsheim side opting not to exercise a purchase option of €7.5 million. Campbell has a market value of €5m and is currently the 35th most valuable US player in the world.

Campbell made the move to Germany in 2022 on a free transfer, having previously played in Iceland for two years. Before that, the winger came through Atlanta’s academy, which he departed in 2020 at just 14 years of age. The winger has been regularly touted as an impressive prospect at Dortmund for a number of years, but as never managed to work his way into senior football in Germany. So is Campbell really as talented as previous reports suggest, or are Celtic potentially picking up a player that neither Dortmund nor Hoffenheim were interested in keeping? To find out more, we got some insight from our German team.

Lennart Gens - Transfermarkt German Editor:

For a long time, Cole Campbell was regarded as one of BVB’s greatest talents. In 2023, he reached the final of the German Championship with the U19s; the following season, he contributed 25 goals in 31 matches and was called up to join the first-team pre-season training in 2024. However, the move to the first team did not go as hoped. Campbell did not get beyond a few brief appearances and played just 91 minutes for BVB. Interest from the Bundesliga was nevertheless high, as Campbell’s talent was evident. Initially, a move to Stuttgart fell through in the summer of 2025, before Hoffenheim secured his signature in the winter. Following an injury early on, he managed only five brief appearances there as well, which is why Hoffenheim did not exercise the buy-out clause.

This summer will be a pivotal one for Campbell. He urgently needs regular playing time to further develop his undoubted talent. In Dortmund’s Under-19s, he impressed with excellent technique, good vision and a sound understanding of the game. He is not a classic winger who sticks to the touchline and constantly looks for one-on-one situations. Rather, he often drifts into the centre and can hold his own in tight spaces. He is best suited to a team that plays an offensive style and has frequent possession. Against deep-lying opponents, his vision allows him to find gaps time and again. However, he has so far only demonstrated this consistently in the youth teams – at senior level, he has had significant problems with the physicality of the game. If he can overcome these, he is definitely a player who could be sold at a significant profit in one or two years’ time.