Out of favour Jota has been called out by Stade Rennes boss Jorge Sampaoli over his fitness levels with speculation over a January move escalating.
The 25-year-old is at another career crossroads after his nightmare spell with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League came to an end last summer. The £25million Celtic exit proved to be ill-fated but the Portuguese star appeared to be finding form again in Ligue 1 before the arrival of new boss Sampaoli.
The Argentine gaffer insists that the player is not at the required level to start games – having yet to make an appearance from the first minute after he replaced Julian Stephen in the dugout last month. He said: “We hope he can bring us some balance, but he is not yet in full possession of his resources.
“I need players who can make a continuous effort, both offensively and defensively, but players who can make a difference like him in one-on-one situations are very important for us. We need him be fit, we need them to understand our model so he can make the difference.”
It comes after reports in France suggested that Rennes were willing to sell the forward in January just months after his £6.7m move. That has sparked speculation among fans over a potential return to Glasgow’s east end – and another man they want to see back is Kieran Tierney.
The left-back is nearing the end of his Arsenal contract with Brendan Rodgers keen on a reunion at Celtic Park. But former Hoops and Gunners star John Hartson has urged caution over a deal, telling Go Radio: “I think there’s an awful lot of work to do to get that one over the line. Kieran Tierney hasn’t played the games that he has, can Celtic get him back and all of a sudden get him playing 40-50 games a year like the used to? I very much doubt it because he’s been injury prone.
“Yes, he’s a fantastic player, he’s one of Celtic’s own, he’d have to drop massively in wages. I suppose a lot of Celtic fans would love to see it, but my answer is, I really don’t know, I really don’t know very much about it.”
A move for Tierney could be funded by the sale of Alexandro Bernabei – with Palmeiras waiting in the wings as Internacional negotiate a deal. The left-back was named in the Brazilian Serie A Team of the Year after an excellent campaign away from Parkhead.
The original agreement between the two clubs included a buy clause – which needs to be met by the end of the month – which stands at a figure of around £7million. But Internacional vice-president José Olavo Bisol insists talks remain ongoing.
He said: “There’s a chance that he will stay. His contract runs out at the end of this year, but we have clauses that give us the option to buy him. However, our financial situation doesn’t allow us to be aggressive and exercise that option at the moment.
“But we have an agreement with the player and are in talks with Celtic. Bernabei has settled in well and has already expressed his desire to stay at the club. We’re not going to be financially irresponsible. We have limits and we’ve made that clear to Celtic. I hope the outcome is positive.”
One exit that looks to be off the table is Cameron Carter-Vickers amid speculation over interest from Bayer Leverkusen. Speaking after the 4-0 win over St Johnstone, boss Rodgers said: “I suspect there will be interest in all our players and lots of gossip and speculation going about. But no, I think our idea is to improve our squad.
“To be honest, I don’t need to say anything. I just relax and work with the players and we want to improve the squad and whatever happens, happens.”