Celtic reach full agreement to sign €5m striker

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Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Qarabag forward Camilo Duran has travelled to Glasgow to become Celtic’s first signing of the 2026 summer transfer window.

Martin O’Neill’s side have been extremely quiet during the opening few weeks of the window, but they have now struck a full agreement to secure Duran’s signature following lengthy transfer negotiations with Qarabag.

Azerbaijani outlet SportInfo have confirmed that Duran has left Qarabag’s camp to undergo a medical at Celtic, with an agreement in place on a three-year contract, with the option for a further 12 months.

The exact transfer fee hasn’t been revealed, with varying reports from multiple outlets, although it’s claimed that Celtic’s total outlay will exceed €5 million when including possible add-on payments.

Duran scored 20 goals for Qarabag last season, including five in just 10 Champions League appearances, and he will be unveiled as Celtic’s first signing of the summer transfer window once his medical is completed.

If add-on clauses are triggered, he could become Qarabag’s all-time record sale, usurping Juninho, who joined Flamengo for €5m in 2024. He will also become the eight player to leave the club this summer after Leandro Andrade, Kevin Medina, Toral Bayramov, Fabijan Buntic, Ramil Sheydayev, Emmanuel Addai and Amin Ramazanov.

Analysis: Who is Camilo Duran?

Duran is a 24-year-old Colombian forward who joined Qarabag from Portuguese side Portimonense for a measly fee of just €200,000 last August.

He scored five goals in 26 games in the Portuguese second division during his only full season at the club, but this was enough to convince Qarabag to sanction a transfer.

Since his arrival at the Azerbaijani side, Duran has developed immensely and after scoring 20 goals across all competitions last term, he is set to become Celtic’s first signing of the summer amid their pursuit of forward reinforcements.

Duran was mostly used as a centre forward by Qarabag last season, but he also played as a right winger on a number of occasions, while he filled in on the left flank twice. His versatility will therefore be extremely handy for O’Neill, who could be set to lose Daizen Maeda this summer.

The Japan international is keen to explore his options and it has been reported that Celtic are willing to sanction a sale if they receive a suitable transfer offer.