Speculation around star Celtic sold for £25m ends as Fabrizio Romano makes clear Hoops hero's next move
A former Celtic star could be on the move this summer.
Suffice to say, Jota’s time at Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League has not gone according to plan.
He made the jump from Celtic Park to the Middle East in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £25 million after a stunning stint in Glasgow, but he has yet to hit the ground running.
As such, his time in Saudi Arabia could now be coming to an end - the Benfica academy graduate could soon join Rennes on loan. They have agreed a deal with Al-Ittihad to bring him to Roazhon Park, as the two parties look to make the move official. He had been linked with a move back to Celtic earlier in the transfer window, but these rumours have since fallen to the wayside.
This is according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Fabrizio Romano last night, who wrote: “Rennes have agreed deal to sign Jota on loan from Al Ittihad, plan confirmed. Formal steps to follow.”
During his time at Celtic, Jota won two Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish League Cups and one Scottish Cup. In contrast, he made 17 Saudi Pro League appearances during his time at Al-Ittihad, scoring just four goals last season at the club.
His struggles at Al-Ittihad has not been all his fault. Due to foreign player restrictions in the Saudi Pro League, the club found it challenging to fit him into their squad - furthermore, they have had four different managers over the last year (Nuno Espirito Santo, Hassan Khalifa, Marcelo Gallardo and Laurent Blanc).
None of them gave him the chance he deserved - causing his career to stagnate somewhat. As such, Jota will be hoping that he can use Rennes as a launching pad to resurrect his footballing career.