In mid-June, the summer transfer window opened for business, and Celtic took more than a month to finalise their first deal.
Viljami Sinisalo, a Finland international, moved permanently to Parkhead from Aston Villa on Tuesday in order to challenge for a starting position in goal for the upcoming campaign, according to Brendan Rodgers.
As the first player signed during the transfer window, the 22-year-old will aim to compete for a starting position in goal following Joe Hart’s retirement at the end of the previous campaign.
But it appears like 37-year-old Kasper Schmeichel, who is expected to sign a contract that extends through the summer of 2025, will be his rival.
The Scottish Premiership winners are also interested in strengthening their lineup higher up the field. Among the players they have been linked to are Norwich City center-forward Adam Idah, Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree, and Royal Antwerp striker Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
But it appears that a central midfielder who is well-liked by the Hoops faithful will be Celtic’s first outfield addition of the summer transfer window.
Celtic agree deal to sign midfield maestro
According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, 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.
Joseph notes that before a transaction can be formally approved by all parties, Celtic still needs to work out the add-ons with the Liga Portugal powerhouses and then come to a personal terms agreement with Bernardo.
However, the Sky Sports reporter does disclose that the 22-year-old maestro is “keen” to return to the Scottish team, indicating that the Hoops shouldn’t have a significant obstacle in the negotiations due to personal differences.
Thus, if they can finalise this transaction in the next few days, Bernardo looks to be the club’s first outfield acquisition of the transfer window, perhaps succeeding goalkeepers Sinisalo and Schmeichel.
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.
The £3.5 million player attracted attention with six direct goal contributions in just 11 division starts, as the table above illustrates. That’s more than one goal every other start on average.
But he only produced one opportunity per other game on average, so if the midfield player wants to become a regular starter for Rodgers, that might need to be addressed.
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