Struggling Jota could reportedly be shown the door by Stade Rennes after just six months at the club.
The 25-year-old has looked to get his career back on track in Ligue 1 after he brought his nightmare spell in the Saudi Pro League to an end last summmer. The winger took the mega money offer on the table from Al-Ittihad to leave Celtic in the summer of 2023 for a whopping £25million – but the move didn’t work out as he was almost instantly dropped from the squad list for league fixtures.
And the wide man must have a feeling of deja vu in France after being abruptly dropped out of the first-team plans by new boss Jorge Sampaoli last month. After his £6.7million move to Rennes, he appeared to be capturing his best form under then-manager Julian Stephen despite a sluggish run of results for his side – but the Argentine boss has yet to hand the summer recruit a single start since taking over last month.
According to L’Équipe, the Rennes hierarchy is keen to provide reinforcements across all positions for Sampaoli and are looking to sell off a number of fringe stars to fund the deals. They note that Jota could “already be set to leave” if an opportunity arises to cash in with the attacker “desiring” more game time.
It is noted that “discussions” have already taken place with his representatives over his future with “nothing off the table”. Furthermore, it is claimed that unnamed clubs from the UK have already expressed an interest.
The hammerblow to his career comes after Jota hailed his time in the Scottish Premiership earlier this season. He admitted he couldn’t wait to one day show his children Parkhead, telling the media in France: “You had to be in Glasgow at that moment to feel it. Playing at Celtic Park, feeling the love of the fans, having the chance to be coached by an incredible coach (Ange Postecoglou) in a group where everything turned out well.
“You have to thank everyone. I hope one day to be able to show my children what it was like, all the love I received. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It touched me because I didn’t expect it. When they started singing it, it was a very special moment.”
Could he get his dream move sooner than he thought? It remains to be seen if the Hoops are among the unnamed “interested” clubs at this early stage.