Celtic are still working on a deal for Paulo Bernardo – but he wants the move.
The Hoops have been keen to secure the return of the Portuguese midfielder, this time on a permanent basis, and had an option to buy inserted in the loan that brought him to Parkhead last season. But it’s believed that sat at the £6million mark and the Hoops were keen to negotiate that down.
Benfica are still looking for that sum but Celtic hope they can strike a deal at £4m plus add-ons, reports the Daily Record. The report adds that the Hoops remain confident they can strike an agreement to bring back the 22-year-old, who proved a decent midfield option last season.
And it’s stated that Bernardo wants to become a Hoops player. He made 33 appearances during his stint on loan and scored four goals, the most memorable of which came in win over Rangers.
On top of Bernardo, the Hoops are keen to strike a deal with Norwich for the permanent transfer of Adam Idah who made a big impression on loan.
Brendan Rodgers was quizzed on transfers after the friendly against Ayr United and said: “We could have had nine players in by now if we wanted, but it’s all about the right players that we want.
“There’s no point in us doing anything other than that and sometimes that takes a little bit of patience. In the world nowadays, where everything’s immediate, everyone thinks you can do it straight away, but it’s not always the case. There’s always a collaboration between ourselves and another club to get the players that we want, but I’m very hopeful that come the end of the window, we’ll have a really strong squad and be ready and prepared for an exciting season.
“There’s lots of time. Of course, we would want to get them in sooner rather than later. But it’s always a two-way thing.”