Alexandro Bernabei did not exactly set the heather alight at Celtic before he left the club on loan.
However, at Internacional, the left-back has flourished into one of the best defenders in the country.
The 24-year-old has developed in Brazil and has come on leaps and bounds since he made the initial switch back in March.
Now the Argentinian international hopeful has earned a significant honour with his loan club having been named in Brazilian Serie A’s team of the season.
The former Lanus star – who joined the Hoops for around £3.75million in 2022 – was listed on the team sheet for the best squad of the year after putting in a string of excellent performances for the club.
It marks a resurgence for the forgotten Celt who had been bombed out of Brendan Rodgers’ squad before ultimately leaving earlier this year.
Bernabei and Internacional finished fifth in the division and he has even been touted as a potential call-up to the next Argentina squad for his showings.
He netted three goals in the campaign – against Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians and Juventude – from 23 appearances.
Bernabei has been named in Brazil’s Team of the Season
We told how other clubs in Brazil were hoping to sign the defender on a permanent basis while his current loan club are also keen to keep him.
It is believed a fee of around £8million would be enough for Celtic to part ways with his services.
But that could all change, of course, given Bernabei has thrived in Brazil and shown a different side to his game. Should Rodgers be watching closely, the Northern Irishman may yet find a space for the player in Glasgow.
Why Celtic could still keep hold of £8million-rated Bernabei
Berna’s form coincides with Greg Taylor being out of contract with Celts at the end of this season while Alex Valle is only on loan from Barcelona.
Neither deals have yet been done – nor has Bernabei’s future been declared – and that could change his career trajectory in Celtic’s benefit.
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