Celtic played out their first friendly of pre-season on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by lower league outfit Ayr, whilst missing a number of key first-team performers due to international commitments.
Kyogo Furuhashi scored from the penalty spot but that was not enough to secure a win in the Scottish giants' first outing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
There were no new signings on display for the fans to get excited about as the Hoops are yet to make their first addition of the summer transfer window.
The Scottish Premiership season kicks off in less than a month and the Bhoys may want to have some fresh faces in the door before their clash with Kilmarnock at Parkhead.
A new number one after Joe Hart's retirement is needed and Newcastle United's Martin Dubravka and Croatia star Dominik Livakovic have both been linked with moves to Paradise.
The Premiership champions are also reportedly looking to bring two players back to Glasgow after their respective loan spells at the club last season.
Celtic in talks to sign £4m star
According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are in talks to secure a permanent deal to sign central midfielder Paulo Bernardo from Benfica this summer.
The report claims that the Bhoys are negotiating with the Portuguese outfit to thrash out a fee for the Portugal U21 international ahead of next season.
It states that Benfica are looking for a fee in the region of £6m for their talented maestro but Celtic think that they will be able to bring him back for a fee of £4m, plus a sell-on clause.
That sell-on clause could be a game-changer in negotiations as Benfica have also reaped the rewards of such an agreement, having netted a whopping £7.5m from Jota's £25m move to Al-Ittihad last summer due to being owed 30% of any future transfer after they sold him to the Bhoys the previous year.
The Daily Record adds that the Hoops are 'confident' that they can get a deal over the line for the impressive youngster, who is also keen to return to the club for a second spell in Glasgow.
This suggests that a transfer may be a formality once they can finalise a fee with the Liga Portugal outfit as the player wants the move to happen and Celtic are pushing to bring him back.
If Brendan Rodgers can strike a deal to sign Bernardo for the Glasgow giants then he could be a terrific long-term option for the club to play in attack alongside another player they want to bring in – Adam Idah.
Celtic's pursuit of Adam Idah
BBC Sport recently reported that Norwich City have rejected an offer from Celtic to sign the Ireland international after his loan spell at Paradise last season.
The report claimed that the English Championship side have turned down a bid that was between £4m and £5m for the 6 foot 3 centre-forward, as they are not 'actively' looking to sell him and their new manager – Johannes Hoff Thorup – is excited to work with him.
This means that the Premiership team will need to go back in with another attempt to snap him up from the Canaries to bolster their attacking options for next term.
The 23-year-old attacker caught the eye with his fantastic performances for the club during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, after joining on loan from Norwich in the winter window.
Idah hit the ground running in the Premiership and ended the season with a sensational return of eight goals and two assists in the league, despite starting just five of his 15 appearances.
Appearances
15
Goals
8
Big chances missed
7
Conversion rate
27%
Minutes per goal
76
As you can see in the table above, the Irish marksman was incredibly prolific in the top-flight with more goals than 'big chances' missed and less than 90 minutes per goal.
Idah also produced a huge moment in his last game for Celtic in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park with a last-minute winner against Rangers, slotting into the back of the net after Jack Butland spilled a shot… from Bernardo.
Why Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah could become a dream duo
The two loanees from the 2023/24 campaign did not establish themselves as regular starters but they are both young talents who were in their first seasons in Scotland.
They could develop into first-choice options at the top end of the pitch for Rodgers with more experience in Glasgow and more development on the training pitch under their belt if they are both signed on permanent deals this month.
Despite not starting week-in-week-out, both players showed enough in the Premiership last season to suggest that they could eventually become a dream duo at Parkhead.
The Portuguese whiz, who was hailed as "tenacious" by Rodgers, showcased his attacking qualities with six direct goal contributions in just 11 league starts.
Appearances
22
Starts
11
Goals
3
Assists
3
Big chances created
4
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old maestro did enough to show that the potential is there for him to develop into an excellent midfielder for the Hoops.
He chipped in with goals and assists at an impressive rate as a starter and his driving run and shot from midfield, which did not officially register as an assist, created Idah's winner in the SFA Cup final.
Bernardo is a dynamic and forward-thinking midfielder who can carry the ball, as shown by his Premiership dribble success rate of 58%, forward to provide quality as a scorer and a creator of goals from the middle of the park.
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Idah, meanwhile, proved himself to be more than adept at making the most of the chances that came his way in a Celtic jersey, as shown by his aforementioned statistics, and that is why the pair could eventually become an exciting and dream duo for Rodgers in the final third.