Celtic are closing close on a new acquisition, who may be Rodgers’ next Tielemans.

Celtic have not completed a signing since the summer transfer market opened in the middle of last month, although this could change in the coming days or weeks.

Brendan Rodgers has used the loan market to great effect throughout his managerial career, and he did it again last season with the Hoops.

Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah were signed in on loan from Benfica and Norwich City, respectively, and both played important roles on the pitch, as demonstrated by their combination for the winning goal in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park in May.

The Scottish giants are apparently close to finalising an agreement to bring one of them back to Parkhead on a permanent basis for the 2024/25 season and beyond.

Celtic are closing in on a £6 million agreement.
According to Football Insider, the Hoops are close to striking a deal to buy Bernardo from Benfica following his promising loan spell in Glasgow last season.

According to the source, talks between the two teams are progressing, and Celtic is confident that they will complete a transfer before the conclusion of the window.

It further reports that Rodgers given the board the green light to pursue a permanent swoop for the Portugal U21 international, and that a fee of £6 million is expected to be agreed upon for the promising midfielder.

This comes shortly after it was claimed that the Hoops were in talks with Benfica about signing the midfielder for £4 million, implying that they have now compromised and moved closer to the Liga Portugal side’s valuation.

Bernardo might potentially be Youri Tielemans 2.0 for Rodgers, who previously managed the Belgian magician at Leicester City.

Why Paulo Bernardo could become Youri Tielemans 2.0
The Foxes had signed the Monaco star on loan for the second half of the 2018/19 season in January 2019, a month before appointing the Northern Irishman from Parkhead.

Tielemans scored three goals and provided four assists in 13 Premier League starts during his loan spell before joining Leicester on a permanent deal in the summer of 2019.

The Belgian international went on to score 28 goals and 25 assists in 184 appearances across all competitions for Rodgers, including the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Bernardo, dubbed a “baller” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, might now be Tielemans 2.0 for the boss, with another young midfielder who can contribute goals and assists signing on a permanent deal following a promising loan term.

As shown in the table above, the Portuguese whiz’s form in the Scottish Premiership was comparable to Tielemans’ form in the Premier League during his initial spell at the King Power, with six goals in 11 starts versus seven in 13.

Both players are center midfielders who aim to have an impact at the top end of the pitch as goal scorers and creators, as evidenced by their statistics.