Celtic have confirmed the signing of Camilo Duran from Qarabag in a £6 million deal. The 24-year-old striker has signed a five-year contract and will wear the number 11 shirt for Celtic.

Duran arrives after a productive spell in Azerbaijan, where he scored 15 goals and added 10 assists in 45 matches in all competitions for Qarabag. He also scored against Benfica, Ajax, Frankfurt and Newcastle in the revamped Champions League group stages, which is a decent reason for Celtic to believe he can handle a bigger attacking role.

Duran's fit at Celtic

The move also lands against the backdrop of a Celtic side that scored 73 league goals in 38 Premiership matches and won 26 of them last season. They are not signing a striker to paper over a problem, they are adding one to an attack that already produced plenty.

Qarabag scored 13 goals in 8 Champions League matches and finished with 10 points, so Duran is coming from a team that had enough European edge to test him properly. Celtic finished 21st in the Champions League league table, which gives the club's European level a clear benchmark as they try to build around his arrival.

Duran's own words suggest he sees the move as a step up he wants to make count. "I'm very happy, it's a dream come true to sign for a big club like Celtic, the biggest in Scotland, and I'm just excited to get going and score lots of goals," he told dailyrecord.co.uk.

He also said, "It was a dream come true playing in the Champions League. That's what you dream of as a kid, so to score goals was amazing and that's what I want to continue doing here, scoring goals in the Champions League."

Next for Celtic

The striker said he is the first Colombian to play for Celtic, another marker of how new this move is for both sides. Celtic say he could make his non-competitive debut next Tuesday against Sporting CP in Portugal.

For now, the story is straightforward. Celtic have paid £6 million for a 24-year-old forward with recent European production, and the club will get its first look at him in Portugal next Tuesday.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →