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Borrower Paulo Bernardo may be presented with a move to MEXICO through his former mentor from Benfica if Celtic fail to exercise their option to buy.
The midfielder is lately on a season-long loan with the Lisbon giants, the deal including a clause meaning a £6m offer would be enough to bring Bernardo to the table to talk about a long-term move to the Scottish Premiership. £6. 3m has been presented for the Portugal Under-21 international, with reports in Portugal suggesting that Celtic will try to renegotiate the value at the end of the campaign.
But before moving east of Glasgow, former Benfica academy coach and B team boss Renato Paiva revealed that he had tried to bring Bernardo to South America. While at Brazilian side Bahia last summer, Paiva revealed he turned down the 22-year-old while waiting for a move to another part of Europe.
But the Portuguese coach is now on par with Mexico’s Toluca and has confessed that he would be interested in bringing Benfica’s ability if given the chance. Although a final resolution has yet to be reached by the Hoops, A Bola asked which stars he tried to land from his former club.
He replied, “I had my eyes on Paulo Bernardo. But at the time that wasn’t possible. I didn’t need to go to South America. I had my eyes on him and if Benfica had any intention of releasing him. “
“I sit on the couch and watch him bet at the highest level. To be able to say that I have contributed a little bit of anything makes me feel very satisfied. I’d love to have him back if I had the chance. “