Paulo Bernardo, a midfielder for Benfica, has joined Celtic on a season-long loan as part of a double boost on deadline day.
The Premiership champions advanced the transaction during the past 48 hours, and just hours before the deadline, they made it public that the 21-year-old had finished a temporary transfer to Celtic Park. Bernardo played the second half of last season with Pacos Ferreira as they failed in their attempt to escape being demoted from the Primera Liga. He has made 16 appearances for Portugal’s Under-21 team.
Manager Brendan Rodgers stated why he was eager to take a look at the outstanding midfielder, and Celtic have the option to turn the loan transfer into a permanent one next summer.
“Paulo is a young player who comes in with the opportunity to give us more strength in depth in that midfield area,” he said on the team website. He already has first-team experience, which he will bring to Celtic, having played for a premier club, Benfica. We are eager to collaborate with him during the course of this season.
Only a few hours after Celtic confirmed that Liel Abada had pledged his future to the club, the decision to sign Bernardo was made.
Since moving to the club from Petah Tivka in the summer of 2021, the Israel international has made 105 appearances in all competitions, with 29 goals and 21 assists. Abada has received interest from several clubs in Europe after initially attracting their attention.
