CELTIC have completed the signing of Scotland Under-21 star Oliver Burke on a loan deal from English Championship club West Brom until the end of the season.

The powerful forward, who still holds the record for a fee paid for a Scottish player as he moved to the Hawthorns for £15 million in 2017 from German side RB Leipzig, will join up with Brendan Rodgers and his new team-mates in their winter training camp in Dubai this week.

The 21-year-old has not started a league match this season under West Brom manager Darren Moore, and has only featured three times as a substitute. He does, however, have five senior Scotland caps, making his international debut in a friendly against Denmark in 2016 and winning the last of his caps against Canada the following March.

West Brom’s sporting and technical director Luke Dowling has ruled out a permanent switch for the Kirkcaldy-born Burke.

“To be fair to Oli, there have been a lot of changes at the club since his arrival which have not helped him,” Dowling said. “The opportunity to join a club of Celtic’s stature on loan was felt by everyone to be the best pathway to help develop his career.

“Oli liked what Celtic had to offer and he has obviously got the opportunity to play on a great stage which should be of benefit to him.

“I would stress that there is no ‘option to buy’ clause at the end of the loan and he will be back with us at the end of the season.

“We will be keeping a close eye on his progress and still believe that in Oli we have a talented player who we are anxious to develop and progress.”

Across the city, Glen Kamara and Jordan Jones have signed pre-contract deals at Rangers from Dundee and Kilmarnock respectively. Finland central midfielder Kamara and Northern Ireland winger Jones will join the Ibrox club in the summer on four-year contracts, while Jermaine Defoe and Steven Davis are closing in on deals and set to be on the plane to Tenerife for the team’s winter break.

Jones said on Twitter: “Unbelievably proud day for me and my family, I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true.

“I’ve said it before and will say it again I couldn’t be more grateful to @KilmarnockFC for their support and backing the last three years. Without them I couldn’t of achieved this dream. I have give everything for the club and will continue to do so.”

Motherwell, meanwhile, have pulled off a major coup by securing the return of their former striker Ross McCormack on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season. The 32-year-old was officially recalled from a loan spell with Australian club Central Coast Mariners on Friday before joining up at Fir Park for a second time.

He left Motherwell to sign for Cardiff City in 2008 after a successful season playing under Mark McGhee, and went on to score 30 goals in 60 games for the Welsh side before making a move to Leeds United.

His prolific form continued at Elland Road, prompting Felix Magath to spend £11m to take him to Fulham in 2014.

He signed for Aston Villa for £12m after another two successful years at Craven Cottage, but the move hasn’t gone to plan, with Motherwell now the fourth club he has been loaned to.

“I am delighted to be back,” McCormack told the Motherwell website. “Although I was a youth player at Rangers, got a good education there and played some first-team games, I feel like this was the club that helped launch my career and I will be forever grateful for that.

“I’ve had a frustrating few years and I am desperate to just get back on the pitch again and do what I do.

“I want to put something back into Motherwell for what they did for me all those years ago. My aim is to come in and score goals, help the team and help develop some of the younger talent in the squad.”

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson said that, while McCormack will not be immediately available due to a knee concern, he has signed a player determined to contribute.

“We are delighted to get a player of Ross’s quality at the club,” he said. “This is a player who has earned over £25m in transfer fees, is the all-time top scorer in the EFL Championship with a record better than one goal in three games and is experienced at international level.

“However, despite all that, what has impressed me most is his desire.”

In other news, Dundee United’s Craig Curran has done a flit down the road, signing for Dundee last night on a contract until 2021.

He is someone that manager Jim McIntyre knows well having signed him when he was in charge at Ross County.

“I’m absolutely delighted that Craig has signed tonight,” McIntrye said. “He is the right type, he has the right mentality and he is exactly what we need moving forward.”