Celtic agree £3.5m deal for Portugal starlet as Rangers handed blow in pursuit of 16-goal forward

Philippe Clement has given fans an update on the club's pursuit of Abdallah Sima. | Getty Images

Celtic have agreed a £3.5m fee to re-sign Portuguese starlet Paulo Bernardo from Benfica, according to reports.

Daily Mail chief football writer Stephen McGowan confirmed the news by posting on X: “Celtic and Benfica have agreed a £3.5m fee for Paulo Bernardo. Player terms now being worked out.”

Portuguese outlet A Bola claims that the 22-year-old is ‘almost certain’ to return to Parkhead this summer after making a lasting impression on manager Brendan Rodgers during his loan spell last term.

Overall, Bernardo made 33 appearances across all competitions and registered four goals and three assists for the Hoops as they lifted a Premiership and Scottish Cup double.

The Portugal U21 international is reportedly keen to return to Glasgow after an enjoyable first season and talks over personal terms are understood to be ongoing ahead of a potential announcement in the near future.

Bernardo was left out of the squad for Benfica’s most recent pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo and it is suspected that he has now played his final game in the Portuguese capital after joining the club as a youngster at just eight years of age.

Rangers suffer key blow in race to land 16-goal forward

Rangers boss Philippe Clement has confirmed that his side have reluctantly pulled out of the race to sign Abdallah Sima on a permanent basis.

The Brighton loanee fired in 16 goals across all competitions last term and was a major part of his team’s title push as they finished runners-up to Celtic.

Sima was a firm fan favourite and someone that Clement was keen to keep on board next season after a string of impressive performances. However, the Belgian conceded that a permanent deal for the Senegalese international was simply not possible due to the price tag that Brighton have placed on him.

A disappointed Clement told the Daily Record: “I’ve been in touch with him, of course. He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that.

“He loved his team-mates and the staff. But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back.”

Sima arrived at Brighton for an undisclosed fee in 2021 but is yet to play a league match for the Seagulls. He spent his first two seasons on loan at Angers in France and Stoke City in the Championship before making a lasting impression on the Ibrox faithful last term.

It remains to be seen whether he will be included in new boss Fabian Hürzeler first team squad for pre-season following the marquee signing of winger Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for a club-record fee of £30m.