Celtic Transfers: Duran Deal Nears as Carter-Vickers Returns

Martin O’Neill insists Celtic’s summer will not drift by in silence. It just hasn’t roared into life yet.

Camilo Duran is poised to be the first sign that the gears are finally shifting. The 24-year-old, fresh from a standout 2025-26 campaign with Qarabag, has completed his medical and is set to join for a fee in the region of £6m. Five Champions League goals for the Azerbaijani champions have been enough to convince Celtic he can add edge to a squad that staggered at times last season, even as it finished with the title in its hands.

For supporters, though, one incoming doesn’t calm the nerves. Not yet.

Oxlade-Chamberlain stays, but questions grow

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has committed to another year in Glasgow, extending the short-term deal he signed in January. The veteran midfielder brings experience, versatility and a steady voice in a dressing room O’Neill is trying to reshape.

His renewal, however, is not what the fanbase is crying out for. The impatience is obvious: one year on from a chaotic title defence that somehow ended in glory, Celtic have yet to deliver the kind of transfer burst that reassures a support eyeing both domestic dominance and European credibility.

O’Neill knows the scrutiny is building.

“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.”

The message is clear: be patient. The market work is happening. But with the clock ticking towards August, patience is a hard sell in Glasgow.

Carter-Vickers back from the brink

If Celtic needed a reminder of what they already have, Cameron Carter-Vickers provided it.

The United States international played the first half of a 1-1 draw with Shelbourne, both sides scoring late penalties, as he made his first appearance since October after a ruptured Achilles. It was a quiet milestone in a low-key friendly, but for club and player it felt far bigger.

“At first, I just thought I had a bit of cramp in my calf,” Carter-Vickers said, recalling the moment he was injured 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 the grind.

“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,” he explained. “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.”

For a defence that leaned heavily on his presence in recent title runs, seeing him back on the pitch is as significant as any signing. Yet even that boost cannot hide the scale of work still needed.

Sutton’s warning: £50m or risk standing still

Chris Sutton has never been shy about holding his former club to high standards, and he isn’t softening the message now.

“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,” he 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 late surge to the title, thrilling as it was, has not erased the memory of long, flat spells. Celtic laboured through stretches of the campaign, and Sutton suspects that without a major overhaul, history will repeat itself.

“They've got the Champions League qualifier which is really important and, 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.”

Then came the hard numbers.

“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 figure underlines the tension of this summer. Celtic have a manager who has already proven he can navigate chaos and deliver silverware. They have a core of trusted performers, some of whom may yet be sold. They have Champions League qualifiers looming and a support demanding a squad built to compete, not just participate.

The clock is loud.

Title defence starts under the lights

There is no gentle easing into the new 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.

By then, Duran should be in the building. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be bedded in for a full pre-season. Carter-Vickers will be a step closer to full sharpness.

The question is what else O’Neill and the board can put in place before that first whistle blows – and whether Celtic are prepared to spend like champions who intend to stay that way.