Celtic have secured a stunning £9 million deal to bring Jota back to Parkhead.
The Portuguese winger was in Glasgow on Saturday night finalising his move from Ligue 1 side Rennes. Mailsport understands the 25-year-old will sign a long-term contract – believed to be for four-and-a-half years – to seal a sensational return. Celtic moved to tie up Jota after agreeing to let Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi go the other way for around £10 million.
Brendan Rodgers was keen to snap up a player who enjoyed two years at the Hoops under former gaffer Ange Postecoglou before being sold to Saudi outfit Al Ittihad for £25 million. And it looks like he’s got his man, with Jota’s arrival set to be rubber-stamped in the next 24 hours. Rodgers is also still trying to push through a loan deal for another ex-Celt, Kieran Tierney, from Arsenal in this January transfer window. The Scotland defender looks certain to sign a pre-contract agreement with his old club to come back permanently in the summer.
A loan switch from the Gunners this month IS still possible but Mailsport understands the potential £30million transfer of Tierney’s team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko – to either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund – could scupper the deal. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta doesn’t want to leave himself short of left-backs as they hunt down Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
If Zinchenko goes in this window, he’ll be left with Tierney and English youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly as naturals in that position – even though the likes of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Callafiori can fill in there. But Rodgers is hopeful that a deal can be struck for a six-month loan stint, which would see Tierney return before a Bosman move in June.
Celtic’s current left-back Greg Taylor is out of contract at the end of this season and has offers on the table from the likes of Dinamo Zagreb and Trabzonspor. So far, he’s failed to agree on a new Parkhead deal – with reports of an imminent extension wide of the mark.
Rodgers also wants to add another striker to his ranks after the departure of top scorer Kyogo. The club have a long-standing interest in Brondby hit-man Mathias Kvistgaarden but it’s understood the Danish club want a huge £13 million fee for his services.