Celtic's Transfer Plans: Duran Deal Nears and Carter-Vickers Returns

Martin O’Neill insists Celtic’s summer will not drift by in silence. The manager expects the club’s transfer window to finally spark into life, with Camilo Duran poised to become the first new arrival of the off-season.

The 24-year-old forward has completed his medical and is set to join from Qarabag for a fee in the region of £6m, a move shaped by his eye-catching 2025-26 campaign in Azerbaijan, where he scored five goals in the Champions League. For a support growing restless, Duran represents more than just another signing. He is a sign of movement.

O’Neill knows the mood. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has agreed a new one-year deal after initially joining on a short-term contract in January, but continuity alone will not satisfy a fanbase that has watched rivals move while Celtic’s business has been slow to surface.

“We have a number of players that we’re looking at,” O’Neill 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.”

The message is clear: the lull will not last.

Carter‑Vickers steps back into the light

On the pitch, there was a more tangible lift. Cameron Carter-Vickers pulled on a Celtic shirt again, playing the first half of a 1-1 draw with Shelbourne in which both sides converted late penalties. For the United States defender, it was his first appearance since October after a ruptured Achilles turned his season into a long, lonely battle.

“At first, I just thought I had a bit of cramp in my calf,” he said, recalling the moment of injury 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.”

What followed was months of monotony and small victories.

“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.”

No drama, just discipline. The kind of mindset Celtic will need as the season tightens and the games stack up.

A rebuild priced at £50m?

While O’Neill talks about additions, Chris Sutton has put a number on the scale of the job. The former Celtic striker believes the club may need to spend more than £50m if they are to keep their grip on the Premiership title and stand up in the Champions League.

“Martin worked wonders last season. I didn’t see Celtic winning the title from the position which he was put in on a couple of occasions,” Sutton told Sky Sports News. “I mean, the run towards the end of the season was extraordinary but I still think you can’t get away from the fact there needs to be a lot of change at Celtic in terms of recruitment.”

The warning runs deeper than domestic comfort. Celtic face a crucial Champions League qualifier and Sutton is adamant that last season’s late surge masked structural issues.

“However exciting it was for Celtic fans to end up getting over the line last season, you can’t get away from the fact that Celtic struggled at times throughout the season. Martin will be looking to, I’m sure, bring players in.”

The outgoing traffic could be just as significant. Sutton namechecked Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels as possible departures.

“It’ll be interesting to see who goes out from Celtic. It looks like Reo Hatate will go, possibly Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels but they’re big players for the team. Who are Celtic going to replace those type of players with? Celtic are possibly going to have to spend up to or more than £50m really because the squad does need a rebuild.”

That is the scale of the equation facing O’Neill: keep the core that delivered a title, or cash in and attempt to build something stronger, faster, more suited to Europe.

Title defence begins under the lights

There is no gentle easing into the campaign. Celtic open their Scottish Premiership title defence at home to Dundee on August 3, a Monday night kick-off at 7.30pm, live on Sky Sports.

It closes an opening weekend in which every top-flight match will be shown live, a showcase start for the division and an early test of Celtic’s readiness.

By then, O’Neill expects Duran to be in the building and more faces to follow. The manager has promised movement, Sutton has demanded investment, and the supporters want evidence that last season’s late surge was a platform, not a peak.

The clock to Dundee is already ticking. Will Celtic’s recruitment keep pace?