Martin O’Neill says Camilo Duran set to become Celtic’s first summer signing

Martin O’Neill has revealed that Colombian forward Camilo Duran is about to become Celtic’s first new signing of the summer.

After undergoing a medical, the 24-year-old will join the Hoops for a fee in the region of £6million following a fruitful 2025-26 campaign with Qarabag in which he notched five goals in the Champions League.

Prior to moving to Azerbaijan last year, Duran had spent most of his senior career in Portugal after coming through the youth ranks at Independiente Medellin in his homeland.

“I think at this minute Duran will be coming in,” manager O’Neill said in a club interview ahead of Celtic’s first pre-season friendly against Shelbourne in Dublin on Tuesday evening.

“He’s doing a medical, I think, just as we speak. If he’s not doing it tonight, he’ll be doing it tomorrow morning, and hopefully he’ll join us in Portugal (for the upcoming training camp).”

After veteran midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain agreed a new contract to remain with Celtic for the upcoming campaign, O’Neill is anticipating his side’s transfer business to accelerate in the coming weeks.

“We have a number of players that we’re looking at,” he said. “We’ve had a number of offers in for players as well too at the same time.

“And I’m hoping in the not-too-distant future, and I mean maybe in the next couple of weeks, that we will have some really decent players at the football club to add to the very decent players we have at the football club.”

Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers played the first half of the 1-1 draw with Shelbourne – in which both sides scored late penalties – as he made his first appearance since October following a ruptured Achilles.

“At first, I just thought I had a bit of cramp in my calf,” the United States international said of an injury sustained in a Europa League win over Sturm Graz.

“Pretty soon after that, when the physios saw it, they thought it was a rupture in the Achilles, which it turned out to be. Obviously at that point, you know it’s going to be a long-term injury.

“For me, it was just about understanding that’s the situation you’re in and just working towards getting back in the best shape and the best way possible.

“It was just about not getting too far ahead of yourself and kind of chasing small gains and being happy with small gains. I was in a cast for three weeks then a boot for eight.

“You can’t really move your foot in any type of direction at first so right at the beginning of the rehab, it was about when I did get a bit of movement back in my foot, it was about taking that as a win and being positive about it and then after that you’re chasing the next thing and the next thing.”