Celtic are locked in talks as they aim for a significant discount on their first signing of the summer, it has been revealed.
Bhoys aiming up
Despite being crowned double winners in their first season, Brendan Rodgers' Celtic side are keen to push on after a less-than-vintage Scottish Premiership season.
Celtic plotting £10m offer to sign "world-class" player for Rodgers
There may well be a problem, though.
ByBen BrowningJun 5, 2024
They are hoping to add Adam Idah to their ranks on a permanent basis, and will also be in the hunt for a new no.1 goalkeeper after Joe Hart announced his retirement. But there is another deal that they are looking to complete first.
Celtic hunting Bernardo bargain
Now, it has emerged that the Scottish champions are hoping to snag a bargain for loanee Paulo Bernardo, who is keen to extend his time at Parkhead.
The midfielder spent the season on loan with Celtic, making 33 appearances across all competitions. There was a £6.4m option to buy the Portuguese U21 international inserted into the loan deal, but that was not taken up by the Hoops.
Paulo Bernardo's Celtic season (all competitions)
Appearances
33
Starts
15
Goals
4
Assists
3
That is because they are hoping to strike a deal on far more favourable terms, with Benfica not keen on keeping Bernardo. To that end, The Sun have relayed claims that the two sides are in discussions over a deal that would begin at less than half of the option to buy.
They report that there are talks over a deal worth an initial £3m, with potential add-ons taking the move to £3.5m should they be activated. Any deal would have the support of fans, players and ex-players alike.
Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson admitted that though he was sceptical at first of the loanee, the Portugual youngster had changed his opinion over the course of the season.
"I wasn’t having him. He played in big games but I just didn’t see him do anything."
“He would run about, hardly get involved or hardly get a touch of the ball. He wouldn’t tackle and you’d see him almost get close to somebody, it almost looked like he was running on treacle.
“But the game at Dens Park, he looked like a player. He gets his goal, maybe a wee bit fortuitous. But after that he’s been great, he’s been brilliant."
Meanwhile, Bernardo is popular in the dressing room too, with Callum McGregor revealing he hoped a move was made permanently for the 22-year-old.
"Paulo has been an important player for us. He has big technical quality and he's a young kid who wants to do well. That's the type of profile we want at the club. Hopefully we can bring him back", he explained.
It remains to be seen whether a deal can be done for such a small fee, but it seems likely that Celtic can certainly bargain the price down from the initial £6.4m if they really want Bernardo this summer, making this one to watch.