Celtic Close To Signing Versatile Midfielder

Celtic appear to be close to bringing in a new midfielder before tomorrow evening’s deadline, with an update emerging from abroad.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

Brendan Rodgers hasn’t begun his second stint in charge at Parkhead in perfect fashion, with the Hoops already being dumped out of the Scottish League Cup by Kilmarnock. Points have also been dropped in the Scottish Premiership, which has led to plenty of speculation over a late transfer window spree.

Reports last week claimed that Celtic could bring in five new players before the window closes, and since then, they have sealed a move for Honduras international Luis Palma in a deal worth £3.5m, with Rodgers delighted at the news, saying:

“We are really pleased to bring Luis to the club. He is a player who had a lot of options but, of course, we are delighted he has chosen to come to Celtic, an opportunity which really excites him.

“He is a very talented player who likes to play attacking football, so we hope he will be a very good fit for the team.”

After Palma, it appears as if Celtic are about to bring in a new defender following injuries to Maik Nawrocki and Cameron Carter-Vickers. Liverpool’s Nat Phillips looks likely to be the centre-back brought in on a season-long loan, whereas progress appears to have been made on a move for Paulo Bernardo following talks.

According to reports from Portugal, relayed by Football Scotland, Benfica have now given the green light for Bernardo to move to Glasgow on a season-long loan.

The midfielder is expected to arrive in Scotland at some point today to undergo a medical and is on course to become a Hoops player over the next 24 hours.

Who is Paulo Bernardo?

Bernardo is a product of Benfica’s academy and is now 21 years of age who actually has a €100m release clause in his current contract.

Primarily a central midfielder who can also turn out in an attacking midfield role if needed, Bernardo is already sponsored by Adidas and has played 16 times in total for Portugal at U21 level.

At club level, Bernardo has made 13 senior appearances during a loan spell with FC Pacos de Ferreira and has turned out on 26 occasions for Benfica, five of which have come in the Champions League.

The midfielder’s mentor, Renato Paiva, recently said Bernardo is “intelligent” and was identified as an “elite midfielder”.

“Paulo had a beautiful history with us. He was identified at Benfica as an elite midfielder, but I told him there was a difference between an elite midfielder and a high-quality midfielder, scoring goals.

“If he didn’t score goals, he would never become an elite midfielder. The truth is that Paulo, being the intelligent kid that he is, knew how to listen, be patient and work accordingly.”

He would offer a versatile option for Rodgers in midfield, should a move go through as expected, and by the looks of things, there could be more to come before the deadline if the previous claim of five potential late arrivals is accurate.