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News
- 21 hours ago
Celtic receive honest transfer verdict on 'quality' midfielder
Cameron Smith
- 11 Dec 2025 09:12 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo has been tipped to leave the club during the upcoming January transfer window amid his lack of game time so far this season.
The former Portugal U21 captain joined Celtic on an initial loan deal in 2023, before arriving permanently from Benfica for a fee of €3 million last summer.
Current ETV
Paulo Bernardo
M (C)
Celtic
Paulo Bernardo
M (C)
Celtic
ETV Range
€5.2M - €7M
However, he has fallen out of favour over the past few months and he has only racked up 230 minutes of action across all competitions so far this season.
Bernardo has featured in just four of Celtic’s 16 matches in the Scottish Premiership since the start of the 2025-26 campaign and he is firmly below Arne Engels, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate in the pecking order.
The 23-year-old was an unused substitute during Wilfried Nancy’s first game as Celtic’s new boss, a 2-1 defeat to Hearts on Sunday, and former Hoops midfielder Scott Allan believes that a January exit is on the cards.
Paulo Bernardo tipped to leave Celtic
“The one that comes to mind would be Paulo Bernardo,” Allan told the Scottish Football Podcast (via Glasgow World) when asked who could leave Celtic in January.
“I think a player, and I like Paulo Bernardo as a player, but U21s captain of Portugal last season. He has got quality but he just hasn't had the minutes. He would be one where you would expect they could pull in a transfer fee for because he does have quality.
“I wouldn't imagine a player of that calibre who would want to just sit and be a bit part player. That would be my honest opinion.”
Allan added: “At the same time if [Daizen] Maeda was to go, and I do feel you can kind of see in his performance that his mind probably is set on leaving but at the same time, Celtic just can't afford to let someone like that go unless you bring in the quality and replace those sort of numbers that he's given Celtic over the last few years.
“Recruitment for Celtic at this time isn't easy. It can't be easy to go and source these players. The transfer structure that Celtic stick to, fans' expectation of what sort of market they should be buying in is always a big talking point. Celtic can't go and buy the players who your Manchester City’s can.
“You're trying to find these players at a decent value, at a level where they're not the finished article, but at the same time they can come in and handle the environment.”
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