Portuguese report on Celtic’s move for Benfica midfielder

Celtic are reported to be looking to sign Paolo Bernardo on loan from Benfica.

Last season the midfielder started just nine matches on loan at Paços Ferreira who were relegated from the First Division.

With the Benfica connection there are bound to be comparisons with Jota with Bernardo having an impressive record of five goals in 16 appearances for the Portuguese u-21 side.

Record of Portugal reports:

Celtic are looking to sign Paulo Bernardo on loan. The midfielder is not part of Benfica’s plans for this season and is awaiting placement. This is a dossier that the responsible incarnates intend to solve in the last days of the market.

Released by Jorge Jesus in 2021/22, 21-year-old Paulo Bernardo was loaned to Paços de Ferreira last January. He was integrated into pre-season, but without even a minute of use, it was clear he didn’t count for Roger Schmidt.

The Portuguese international has a contract with Benfica until 2027.

With just three full days left in the transfer window it looks increasingly likely that Celtic will be turning to the loan market to get deals over the line.

The deals to sign Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke took about one week to be completed between news emerging of interest and the transfers to be completed. The move for Luis Palma seems to be following a similar timeline.

With the lure of Champions League football and the example of Jota it shouldn’t be too much of a hard sell to convince Bernardo to move to Celtic on loan.

CLICK HERE for Bernado’s Transfermarkt profile.