The summer transfer window opened for business in the middle of June and it has taken over a month for Celtic to complete their first signing.
Brendan Rodgers welcomed Finland international Viljami Sinisalo to Parkhead on a permanent move from Aston Villa on Tuesday, to compete for a place between the sticks next season.
The 22-year-old is the first signing of the window and will be looking to fight for a starting spot in goal after Joe Hart retired at the end of last term.
However, he looks set to face competition from 37-year-old Kasper Schmeichel, who is reportedly set to sign a contract until the summer of 2025.
The Scottish Premiership champions are also looking to add to their ranks further up the pitch, as they have been linked with Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Norwich City centre-forward Adam Idah, and Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree, among others.
Celtic’s first outfield signing of the summer transfer window, however, looks set to be a central midfielder well-known by the Hoops supporters.
Celtic agree deal to sign midfield maestro
The Scottish giants have reached an agreement with Benfica to sign Paulo Bernardo on a permanent basis.
The reporter claims that the club have agreed an initial fee of £3.5m with the Portuguese side to sign him permanently, after his loan spell at Parkhead during the 2023/24 campaign.
That is £3m cheaper than the £6.5m option they had to sign him as part of that loan move, which shows that the club have worked hard to negotiate a lower fee with Benfica.
However, Joseph adds that Celtic still need to iron out the add-ons with the Liga Portugal giants and then agree personal terms with Bernardo before a deal can be officially confirmed by all parties.
The Sky Sports reporter does reveal, though, that the 22-year-old maestro is ‘keen’ to rejoin the Scottish side, which suggests that personal terms should not be a massive hurdle for the Hoops to overcome in negotiations.
Therefore, it appears as though Bernardo is now set to become the club’s first outfield signing of the transfer window, possibly following on from goalkeepers Sinisalo and Schmeichel, if they can get this deal over the line in the coming days.
It is an exciting piece of business for the Bhoys after the former Portugal U21 international showed plenty of signs of promise during the 2023/24 campaign.
Paulo Bernardo’s promising form for Celtic
The young midfielder did not manage to establish himself as a regular starter for Rodgers at Parkhead last season but he did offer glimpses of his potential.
In the Premiership, the Portuguese ace only played 22 matches and started 11 times for the Hoops, as the club won the league title for a third year in succession.
As you can see in the table above, the £3.5m-rated star caught the eye with six direct goal contributions in just 11 starts in the division – more than one every other start on average.
However, he did only create one chance every other game on average and that is something that may need to be improved if the midfielder wants to emerge as a regular starter for Rodgers.
During his six group stage games in the Champions League, Bernardo further demonstrated his defensive prowess. He was in the top 7% of midfielders with 2.31 blocks per 90 and the top 15% with 1.44 interceptions per 90, indicating that the young player was willing to put his body on the line and had good game reading skills to cut out passes from the opposition.
These numbers indicate that he has the ability to develop into a versatile midfield player who can influence games both with and without the ball in the future, which is why this may be a great addition.
After bringing Bernardo in on a permanent basis, Rodgers may now sign an interesting player by acquiring Alvyn Sanches, who is reportedly a transfer target.
Why Celtic should sign Alyvn Sanches
Daily Express journalist Charlie Gordon named Celtic as one of the teams interested in a deal to sign the Lausanne star, alongside Stoke and Coventry from the English Championship, last month.
The reporter added that it would take a fee of £4m – £500k more than the fee agreed for Bernardo – to secure the “highly-rated” 21-year-old starlet’s signature.
He could be an exciting signing to be the future of the Celtic midfield alongside the potential incoming from Benfica, as Sanches is a talented young whiz with the potential to improve.
At the age of 21, he is a year younger than Bernardo and has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and grow, which means that the £4m-rated ace would come in as a long-term project for the Hoops.
His performances on the pitch for Laussane in the Super League during the 2023/24 campaign also suggest that he could immediately offer a threat at the top end of the pitch.
As you can see in the table above, Sanches offered plenty of quality in possession from a center midfield position, with five goals and more than one vital pass per game on average.
The Swiss mastermind, who also finished 86% of his passes attempted, is a dependable ball passer who also provides inventiveness and a goal threat.
Given that both Bernardo and he are number eight possibilities who can contribute as goal scorers and creators, this might make him an attractive midfield partner for Celtic in the future.
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