Celtic stand on the brink of landing more than £4m for left-back Alexandro Bernabei, with his permanent move to Internacional now all-but confirmed.
The Argentine defender headed out on loan a year ago after struggling to force his way into Brendan Rodgers‘ team and after a slow start, he improved sharply as 2024 went on and by the end of it they were baying to take him back permanently. Celtic however saw his impressive form as a chance to turn a profit on him and it initially appeared his loan club would be priced out, with talk of a £6m price tag proving too hot for them to handle.
Now though it seems all has been resolved. Various outlets in South America claim that after ‘months’ of negotiations, they’ve reached an agreement worth €6m (£5m) in total. €500,000 (£420,000) of that is said to be in conditional bonuses depending on how he fairs. But if the entirety of the fee is paid out then the Hoops will turn a profit to the tune of £1.25m, having paid £3.75m to sign him under Ange Postecoglou in 2022.
Elsewhere boss Rodgers has spoken out on the bizarre Kyogo to Atlanta United ‘announcement’ saga. An article briefly appeared on the MLS website which claimed the Hoops striker had signed for the MLS club. It was swiftly deleted but was live for long enough to circulate in the UK, with both the league and club since putting out statements confirming it was incorrect.
And a surprised Rodgers was asked about it ahead of Saturday’s trip to Ross County. He said: “I can guarantee he’s on the coach, and he’s travelling to Ross County, so he’s certainly not in the MLS. In this period of time there’s always lots of gossip and speculation around so many players, and especially talented players. So I’m sure that will continue to be the case over the coming weeks. I actually only knew about (the ‘announcement’) five minutes ago, so I was a wee bit surprised.”
News that he will in fact be available will be welcome to Rodgers who may need to deploy him in an unfamiliar position this weekend. With four wingers all serious fitness doubts, Kyogo may be required to fill in out wide. Nicolas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Luis Palma are all big question marks and it could mean Kyogo starts out wide alongside Yang and Adam Idah in the forward line.