Shakhtar Donetsk contract rebel Bernard is eyeing a move away from the club. The Brazilian attacker has been a part of the Ukrainian outfit ever since he moved to the club in 2013. During his stint at the club, the 25-year-old has seen the likes of Douglas Costa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan leaving the club for big money moves.
With less than a year remaining on his current contract, Bernard is now also willing to leave the Ukrainian giants as it seems. He had been linked with a return to his homeland with Palmeiras interested. However, according to Brazilian source UOL Sport, the 25-year-old wants to remain in Europe.
Therefore, a move to the Premier League could be on the horizon for Bernard, who has already attracted attention from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool as well as Premier League champions Chelsea.
Even though the PL trio could try to sign him up next summer, they could table a bid for the Brazilian star in January should competition heats up with Shakhtar putting a modest asking fee of £11.5m.
Liverpool, in particular, could be tempted to make a move for the Shakhtar Donetsk winger. With the Reds preparing life without Philipe Coutinho, who has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona next summer, Bernard could actually be an interesting alternative for his fellow compatriot.
Although the 25-year-old doesn’t possess the same sublime skills like Philipe Coutinho, he can be a great utility player for the Reds. Especially with Liverpool lacking proper depth in the midfield, Bernard can prove to be a very valuable signing for the Merseyside giants.
With Coutinho rooting for a place just behind the attackers, his departure might disrupt the smooth linkup play that saw the Reds score three goals against Southampton in their last match. The possible addition of Bernard might help Liverpool to pacify that situation to some extent.
Bernard has the quality to act more than just a backup player. In just four seasons at the club, the 25-year-old has notched up 146 appearances for the Ukrainian giants, where he provided 32 assists as well as scoring 24 goals. Furthermore, the former Atletico Mineiro prodigy also has an exposure of playing in the Champions League, which can be very helpful for the rest of his career.
A fee of just £11.5m is barely a snip in the transfer market these days, even more so for a huge club like Liverpool. Therefore, going all out for the Brazilian attacker in the winter transfer window could be a smart decision by the board.
