Celtic kick off their 2024/25 campaign in less than a month as they prepare to welcome Kilmarnock to Parkhead on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership season.
The summer transfer window officially opened for business last month and the Hoops are yet to dip into the market to make their first signing, ahead of the first league game of the term.
However, they are reportedly closing in on the arrival of Kasper Schmeichel on a free transfer to finally replace Joe Hart as the number one in Glasgow.
The Daily Mail reports that the club are in advanced talks over a two-year deal to sign the Denmark international, who previously worked with Brendan Rodgers during their time together at Leicester City.
However, Schmeichel may not be the only player on his way to link up with the squad ahead of the tour of America in pre-season as they are reportedly eyeing a move for one of their loan players from last season.
Celtic submit bid for midfield maestro
According to the Daily Mail, the Scottish Premiership champions have officially submitted a bid to sign Paulo Bernardo on a permanent deal from Benfica.
The report claims that the Bhoys have put an offer of £3.5m on the table in an attempt to secure the Portugal U21 international’s signature ahead of next season.
Bernardo spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Parkhead from the Portuguese side and helped the team to a domestic double, lifting the Premiership title and the SFA Cup.
Celtic had an option to make the deal instantly permanent for a pre-agreed price of £6m but have decided to haggle with Benfica, in an attempt to almost half that fee – to £3.5m.
The Daily Mail claims that the Hoops are hoping that add-ons on top of the £3.5m offer and a sell-on percentage included in the deal will convince the Liga Portugal side to cash in on Bernardo.
It adds that they are hoping to also iron out personal terms with the 22-year-old central midfielder to ensure that he remains at Paradise heading into next season.
|
23/24 Premiership |
Paulo Bernardo |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
Starts |
11 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
As you can see in the table above, Bernardo was not a regular starter in the middle of the park but he did showcase his attacking quality in the few starts that Rodgers did award him with.
The Portuguese youngster could now come in as a long-term option for the manager to have at his disposal, with the 22-year-old having plenty of time on his hands to develop and improve.
Celtic do, though, already have a similar player on their books who the Benfica gem will have to push past in order to become a regular starter – Reo Hatate.
The Hoops have struck gold with the Japan international, who was signed by Ange Postecoglou, as his value has soared in recent years, to a point where he is currently worth more than Bernardo.
How much Celtic paid for Reo Hatate
In the January transfer window at the start of 2022, the former Bhoys head coach swooped to sign the midfielder from J-League champions Kawasaki Frontale for a reported fee of £1.4m.
Hatate did not take long to make an impression in Glasgow as he started 15 of his 17 appearances in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign in the Premiership.
The right-footed midfielder immediately showcased his attacking quality with a return of four goals, two assists, and four ‘big chances’ created in those 15 outings.
He followed that up with an impressive year in his first full Premiership campaign with the Scottish giants under Postecoglou’s management during the 2022/23 season.
|
22/23 Premiership |
Reo Hatate |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
32 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Assists |
8 |
|
Big chances created |
10 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
56% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
59% |
As you can see in the table above, Hatate was directly involved in 14 goals in 32 appearances from a central midfield position, and more than held his own in physical duels.
The 26-year-old star won the majority of his battles on the deck and in the air against opposition players in the Premiership, which shows that he offered plenty of quality to Celtic in and out of possession.
Reo Hatate’s soaring value
Former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness recently told Football Insider that Hatate is worth around £15m and even claimed that he is worth “more” than that to Celtic.
Meanwhile, at the time of writing (14/07/24), Transfermarkt has the central midfielder’s current market valuation at €10m (£8.6m), a bit less than Wyness’ valuation.
Irrespective of whether you decide to go with the £15m or £8.6m value, it is clear to see that the Japan international’s stock has soared over the past two-and-a-half years at Parkhead.
Celtic and Postecoglou struck gold by bringing him to Scotland for just £1.4m as he has become a key player on the pitch and his value has skyrocketed, to a point where he is currently worth significantly more than the £3.5m the club have offered for Bernardo.
Hatate, unfortunately, missed 40 matches for club and country with a hamstring issue and two calf injuries last season, which limited his involvement in the Premiership.
However, he did show glimpses of his quality when fit with his ability to make a big impact when bursting forward from midfield to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
|
23/24 Premiership |
Reo Hatate |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
16 |
|
Starts |
12 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
4 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.1 |
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old star was directly involved in seven goals in just 12 starts, more than one every other start on average.
His aforementioned statistics in the Premiership show that he is a proven performer who can provide goals and assists from a number eight position for the Scottish giants.
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The Hoops have been linked with an interest in the attack-minded midfielder.
This is why Bernardo will have to prove himself to be a better option than Hatate, if the club get a deal over the line for him, as the Japanese dynamo, whose value has soared in recent years, is an established star who will need to be pushed out of the XI.