Paulo Bernardo’s lucrative Benfica deal is reportedly causing reports to surface, making it “unlikely” that Celtic will sign the midfield player permanently.
The midfielder covered for the Scottish Premiership winners last season while on loan under Brendan Rodgers, filling in for the injured Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor. In the Scottish Cup Final, he also played off the bench to help defeat Rangers; the Hoops are eager to have the player return to Glasgow’s east end permanently.
In the loan agreement, Celtic had the option to purchase, but they are currently in negotiations with the Lisbon powerhouses to lower the asking price. But it now seems that the Portuguese U21 international’s wage demands have put the Correio do Manhã suggested that Celtic “would need a very good offer to convince him to give up on what he gets from Benfica” in reference to the shaky contract. According to reports, Bernardo reportedly makes €1 million a year in Portugal. The belief among the Hoops is that Bernardo is paid “too high a salary” and may back out of any agreement. Even though the Bernardo deal may not go through, Jeremie Frimpong will undoubtedly earn a large salary for the Scottish champions. Teams from all across Europe are vying for the Bayer Leverkusen star, with Celtic expected to get 30% of any sales proceeds.
The unbeaten team led by Xabi Alonso achieved a historic first German title with the full-back’s assistance, and he is currently making an impression at Euro 2024. According to AS, Barcelona is currently in the lead in the negotiations, and the Netherlands international’s release clause, which was previously set at €40 million, has now “expired”.
The big La Liga teams reportedly want to spend up to €60 million to get the star to Catalonia for the summer. The wing-back is rumored to have been required to sign “at any cost” by new manager Hansi Flick.