By Chris Donald
The father of Bernard has hit out at Atlético Mineiro after he believes the club are using the player like a puppet.
He feels the club are forcing the 20-year-old into a move to Shakhtar Donetsk in order to make more money, reports Goal.com.
This is despite Delio Duarte declaring his son has his heart set on a move to Porto after being convinced by Seleção striker Hulk.
Atlético president Alexandre Kalil revealed on Tuesday that he has accepted a bid from Shakhtar and that the Ukrainian side are the only club to have offered their asking price.
Now Duarte is accusing Atlético of ignoring Bernard’s wishes.
“I think Atletico Mineiro should respect his wishes," he told Maisfutebol.
“I understand Atletico want more money but the player cannot be a puppet. He gave so much to the club, he wants to go to Porto, they should try to reach an agreement.
“He is very focused on the World Cup. I think that, if he goes to Ukraine, he will lose ground. He doesn"t even consider this possibility. Portugal is different.
“[Brazil coach Luiz Felipe] Scolari is very fond of Portuguese football and always watches. For him, playing in Portugal would be as or more important than staying here."
