Celtic ended their 2023/24 campaign in style as they lifted the SFA Cup at Hampden Park after a dramatic 1-0 win over their closest rivals last month.
Adam Idah scored a 90th-minute winner for the Glasgow giants to secure a second trophy of the season for the Bhoys, after they had already won the Scottish Premiership title.
Brendan Rodgers, therefore, won a domestic double in his first year back in the dugout, after he re-joined for a second spell at the club last summer.
The Northern Irish head coach will now be looking ahead to next season and thinking about what he can do in the summer transfer window to improve his squad and ensure that they are competing for more trophies next term.
Whilst he could dip into the transfer market to add fresh players to his group, the ex-Leicester boss is also reportedly interested in keeping hold of one player who just spent the year on loan with his team at Parkhead.
Celtic in talks to make loan deal permanent
According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are in talks with Benfica over the possibility of signing central midfielder Paulo Bernardo on a permanent basis.
The report claims that the Scottish giants have an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of around £6m but they are hoping to renegotiate with the Portuguese side.
It states that talks are progressing well between the two teams and that the Bhoys are now confident that they are close to striking an agreement to sign the Portugal U21 international ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Daily Record adds that Celtic are prepared to offer more add-ons and a sell-on fee as part of the deal to avoid paying £6m up front as per the original agreement as part of the loan deal.
It also reveals that Bernardo would like to remain at Parkhead beyond this summer and wants his parent club to sanction a deal for him to return to Glasgow.
However, the report does not detail exactly how much the Hoops are hoping to pay for him as part of the renegotiated deal or how much of a sell-on percentage they are willing to give Benfica.
Celtic could now be set to land Jota 2.0 for themselves by sealing a move to land Bernardo on a permanent deal, as another Benfica loanee signing permanently after an initial loan.
The masterclass Celtic played with Jota
Ange Postecolou swooped to sign the Portuguese winger on loan from Benfica in the summer of 2021 and he hit the ground running with a phenomenal first season in Scotland.
The electric forward produced 20 goals and assists combined in 29 appearances in the Premiership for the Scottish side, as you can see in the table below.
Appearances
29
Sofascore rating
7.56
Goals
10
Assists
10
Big chances created
17
Key passes per game
2.0
Celtic then signed him on a permanent deal for £6.5m in the summer of 2022 and agreed to give Benfica a 'significant' sell-on percentage of any future sale.
Jota followed up on his impressive debut campaign in Scotland with a tremendous return of 11 goals and 11 assists in 26 league starts during the 2022/23 season.
These statistics show that the 25-year-old magician was a constant threat to opposition defences across his two years at Parkhead, both as a loan and permanent player for the Hoops.
He proved himself during his loan spell and then continued his sensational form in the following term after Celtic opted to sign him for £6.5m, and those two deals turned out to be a masterclass from Postecoglou and the club.
In the summer of 2023, Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad swooped in to sign Jota, who ended his Bhoys career with 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 games in all competitions, for a staggering fee of £25m – a huge profit on the £6.5m they paid Benfica to sign him a year earlier.
Although, £7.5m of that went to the Portuguese side due to the 30% sell-on clause they had in their deal, which meant that the Hoops pocketed £17.5m – an £11.5m profit on their initial outlay on the forward.
Celtic could now look to repeat that masterclass by securing a permanent deal for Bernardo, who could go on to be Jota 2.0 for the Scottish giants if he can build on his first year at Paradise.
Why Paulo Bernardo could be Jota 2.0
The 22-year-old maestro is a young talent who has the potential to improve and develop with more game time after a promising first season with the club.
He did not immediately hit the ground running as a regular starter like Jota but did show glimpses of his quality in the middle of the park throughout the campaign.
Appearances
22
Starts
11
Goals
3
Assists
3
Big chances created
4
Duel success rate
49%
As you can see in the table above, Bernardo chipped in with six direct goal contributions in just 11 starts in the Premiership, despite playing in a central midfield position.
He also displayed some of his defensive prowess in his six appearances in the group stages of the Champions League, ranking within the top 20% of his positional peers or higher in the tournament for interceptions (1.44), blocks (2.31), and aerial duels won (1.15) per 90 respectively.
Bernardo, who U23 scout Antonio Mango lauded as a technically "gifted" star, has the quality to excel in and out of possession, as shown by his statistics in the Premiership and the Champions League.
However, his lack of starts suggests that consistency is an issue for him at this moment in time and that is something that could come with more experience on the pitch, given that he is only 22 right now.
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Celtic could sign him permanently this summer and look to develop him further over the coming seasons to unlock his full potential as a central midfielder who can defend brilliantly whilst also being able to contribute in the final third on a regular basis.
If they can do that and then attract interest from other clubs then they could unearth Jota 2.0 by cashing in on another Benfica loanee signed permanently before being sold for a profit.