We have been discussing Celtic’s hopeful circumstances with Paulo Bernardo over the last few days, and how it appeared more likely than not that they would be able to get a good deal for the 22-year-old.
Brendan Rodgers was happy with the midfielder’s contribution when he was loaned from Benfica to the Scottish Premiership team the previous season. Although they had already agreed to exercise the €7 million option, Celtic chose to keep Bernardo.
Because there wasn’t precisely a rush of clubs eager to knock the club down for the young player, Lisbon was in a difficult situation, which aided Celtic in their negotiating.
An deal appeared to be imminent when Roger Schmidt made it apparent that Bernardo wasn’t included in his plans for the season when the player was left out of a friendly match over the weekend.
Bernardo is reportedly “on his way” to Celtic, with a deal to the Glasgow team being called “almost certain,” according to a Bola report.
A few details on a contract that will cost less than €7 million still need to be worked out, and it has been said that Benfica wants to keep at least 50% of the proceeds from a future sale.
