Celtic to use ‘£50m’ Matt O’Riley sale in Paulo Bernardo deal – expert
Celtic have been tipped to use the money made from the sale of Matt O’Riley to bring Paulo Bernardo to the club on a permanent deal.
Bernardo, 22, had established himself as a key player during his loan spell last season, making 33 appearances across all competitions as they lifted the league and cup double.
Reports now claim negotiations with Benfica have hit a stumbling block, with the club unable to afford his lofty wage demands.
However, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Alan Hutton has tipped Celtic to make up to £50million from O’Riley’s sale which could be reinvested into Bernardo’s deal.
Football Insider revealed that Celtic will hold out for a “huge” offer for O’Riley’s signature, with West Ham and Atletico Madrid monitoring his situation.
Celtic could use Matt O’Riley sale to complete Paulo Bernardo deal
Hutton has insisted the sale of O’Riley could free up funds for further investment, although the club may still try to drive the price for Bernardo down.
However, he warned finding a buyer for the midfielder at their asking price could cause issues.
“He’s on a long contract at Benfica so that’s something they’re going to have to work around,” he told Football Insider.
“I think they were talking about £7million, but if they can get the fee down, maybe they can give him the wages they want.
“He knows the club, he’s won trophies already at a young age and he’ll have sell-on value if they can get a deal over the line.
“It might depend on the Matt O’Riley situation, is he going to be moving on?
“He’s under contract at Celtic so they can put any figure on him that they want. Whether it’s 30, 40, 50 million, they can do what they like.
“If they can get a team to buy him for that figure will be the difficult part.
“It is a lot of money that could be reinvested into the squad.”
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