Celtic Set to Kick-Start Summer with Duran Deal and Carter-Vickers Return
Martin O’Neill insists Celtic’s summer will not drift by in silence. It just hasn’t roared into life yet.
That should change with Camilo Duran.
The 24-year-old forward is on the brink of becoming Celtic’s first signing of the window, the deal expected to land around the £6m mark after he completed a medical. He arrives off the back of a standout 2025-26 season with Qarabag, where he struck five times in the Champions League and announced himself on the European stage.
For a support growing increasingly impatient, Duran represents the first concrete sign that O’Neill’s rebuild is finally moving from planning to execution.
“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: trust the process, the deals are coming. The mood in the stands, though, is less patient. The champions defend their title in less than a month. The Champions League qualifiers loom. One incoming isn’t going to be enough.
Oxlade-Chamberlain stays, but questions remain
One decision has already gone Celtic’s way. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the seasoned midfielder who arrived on a short-term deal in January, has agreed a new one-year contract.
His experience, versatility and calm in high-pressure games give O’Neill a reliable presence in the middle of the park. It’s a sensible move, a stabilising one.
It doesn’t answer the bigger question: where is the rest of the reinforcement?
Supporters have watched rivals move early while their own club has, so far, added continuity rather than transformation. The expectation now is that Duran’s arrival becomes the trigger, not the exception.
Carter-Vickers back from the brink
If Duran is the future, Cameron Carter-Vickers felt like a new signing of a different kind in the 1-1 draw with Shelbourne.
The United States international played the first half, his first appearance since October after a ruptured Achilles suffered in a Europa League win over Sturm Graz. Both sides scored late penalties, but the real significance for Celtic lay in the sight of their defensive cornerstone back on the pitch.
“At first, I just thought I had a bit of cramp in my calf,” Carter-Vickers said, recalling the moment the injury struck. “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.”
The months that followed were a grind.
“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.”
Step by step. Small gains. No shortcuts.
“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.”
For O’Neill, a fully fit Carter-Vickers is non-negotiable. Celtic’s title push last season surged when their defensive axis settled. His return gives the manager a foundation; the market needs to provide the rest.
Sutton: Celtic may need £50m overhaul
Chris Sutton doesn’t deal in soft warnings. The former Celtic striker believes the scale of the job this summer is stark.
“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 title defence was thrilling. It was also fragile at times.
“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.”
The outgoings could cut just as deep as any failure to buy.
“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.”
If those departures materialise, O’Neill won’t just be topping up a winning squad. He’ll be rebuilding the spine of a champion while trying to clear a Champions League hurdle that has tripped Celtic too often in recent years.
Dundee opener sets the clock ticking
The countdown is already on. Celtic open their Scottish Premiership title defence at home to Dundee on August 3, a Monday night 7.30pm kick-off that closes a landmark weekend with all six top-flight matches live on television.
By then, Duran should be in the building. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be bedded in. Carter-Vickers, sharper and stronger.
The real question is what else O’Neill can bolt onto that core before Dundee walk out at Celtic Park and the scrutiny shifts from the transfer market to the pitch.
