According to rumors, Celtic and Benfica have agreed to a £3.5 million deal for the re-signing of Portuguese sensation Paulo Bernardo.
Chief football reporter for the Daily Mail Stephen McGowan verified the story on X, writing, “Paulo Bernardo’s £3.5 million transfer to Celtic has been agreed upon.” Work on player terms is now underway.
Portuguese publication It is “almost certain,” according to a Bola, that the 22-year-old will make a lasting impression on manager Brendan Rodgers during his loan period at Parkhead this summer.
In all, Bernardo made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and dishing out three assists to help the Hoops win the Scottish Cup and Premiership.
After a successful debut season, the Portugal U21 international is allegedly eager to return to Glasgow. Negotiations over personal conditions are apparently proceeding in preparation for a possible announcement soon.
After joining the team as a young player at the age of eight, Bernardo is thought to have played his final game in the Portuguese capital after being left out of the starting lineup for Benfica’s most recent preseason friendly against Celta Vigo.
Rangers suffer key blow in race to land 16-goal forward
Rangers boss Philippe Clement has confirmed that his side have reluctantly pulled out of the race to sign Abdallah Sima on a permanent basis.
The Brighton loanee fired in 16 goals across all competitions last term and was a major part of his team’s title push as they finished runners-up to Celtic.
Sima was a firm fan favourite and someone that Clement was keen to keep on board next season after a string of impressive performances. However, the Belgian conceded that a permanent deal for the Senegalese international was simply not possible due to the price tag that Brighton have placed on him.
A disappointed Clement told the Daily Record: “I’ve been in touch with him, of course. He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that.
“He loved his team-mates and the staff. But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back.”
Sima arrived at Brighton for an undisclosed fee in 2021 but is yet to play a league match for the Seagulls. He spent his first two seasons on loan at Angers in France and Stoke City in the Championship before making a lasting impression on the Ibrox faithful last term.
It remains to be seen whether he will be included in new boss Fabian Hürzeler first team squad for pre-season following the marquee signing of winger Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for a club-record fee of £30m.
