Football Insider claims that following his impressive loan spell in Glasgow last season, the Hoops are almost certain to buy Bernardo from Benfica.
According to the source, negotiations between the two teams are progressing, and Celtic is confident they can complete a move before the transfer window closes.
It further claims that Rodgers authorised the board to make a permanent move for the Portugal U21 international and that a deal of £6 million is probably what was agreed upon for the gifted midfield player.
This occurs soon after it was revealed that the Hornets had started negotiations with Benfica in an effort to recruit the midfield player for £4 million. It appears that they have already given in on that and are approaching the Liga Portugal team’s asking price.
Now that Rodgers has handled the Belgian magician at Leicester City, Bernardo might become Youri Tielemans 2.0.
Why Paulo Bernardo could be Youri Tielemans 2.0
A month before they appointed the Northern Irishman from Parkhead, the Foxes had signed the Monaco ace on loan for the second half of the 2018–19 season in January 2019.
During that loan period, Tielemans made 13 Premier League starts, scoring three goals and dishing out four assists. In the summer of 2019, Leicester signed him permanently.
In 184 appearances across all competitions for Rodgers, the Belgium international scored 28 goals and provided 25 assists, including the game-winning goal against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final.
Bernardo, another gifted midfield player who can contribute with goals and assists and was bought on a permanent deal following a promising loan term, might now be Tielemans 2.0 for the boss. Hailed as a “baller” by U23 scout Antonio Mango.
The table above shows that, with six goal contributions in 11 starts as opposed to seven in 13, the Portuguese wizard’s performance in the Scottish Premiership was comparable to Tielemans’ in the Premier League during his first spell at the King Power.
Based on their individual statistics, both players are centre midfielders who aim to drive forward to create and score goals at the top of the pitch.
Therefore, Rodgers could repeat the blinder he played with the Belgian star by signing Bernardo permanently and helping him to become a consistent contributor from midfield over the years to come at Parkhead.
