Celtic Close In On Camilo Duran, and His Old Coach Says the Fee Undersells Him

Certainty level: advanced talks. Camilo Duran's agent arrived in Scotland this weekend for what's being described as proceeding talks over a multi-year contract, with Celtic reported to be closing in on a deal with Qarabag worth around £5.5 million, per the Daily Record. Manager Martin O'Neill confirmed the club is working on incoming transfers, telling reporters in Drumcondra, "we have a number of players that we're looking at, 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."

What he actually did in the Champions League

Duran finished last season's Champions League with five goals for Qarabag, level with Vinicius Junior and Michael Olise, scoring against Benfica, twice against Eintracht Frankfurt, and against Ajax in the league phase. His final European appearance came in a 1-1 consolation effort as Qarabag were eliminated 8-2 on aggregate by Newcastle in the knockout play-off round.

The character question, answered by the man who built him

Sebastian Botero, Duran's former coach at Independiente Medellin, described him as someone pressure sharpens rather than weighs down. "Camilo has always been a bit of a rebel," Botero said, via the Daily Record. "That's why pressure doesn't weigh him down, it fuels him. If logic says everything is against him, he does everything in his power to turn the situation in his favour." Botero also said Duran was a difficult, rebellious kid shaped by a rough upbringing in Colombia before a football academy turned that energy toward the game.

Duran started out as a midfielder before Independiente Medellin converted him into a forward. A move to Flamengo fell through after injury derailed a permanent deal, and he instead took what Botero called a risk, becoming a pioneer among Colombian players in Azerbaijan when he joined Qarabag. That move is the one Botero credits with making him.