Anthony Joseph has revealed that Celtic and Al Itihad are in advanced talks over the £25m transfer of Jota to the Saudi Pro League side.
With agent Jorge Mendes involved it seems like it is only a matter of time before the departure of the Superstar from Portugal is officially announced.
Fabrizio Romano tweeted three times in just over 24 hours as the deal reaches a conclusion with the hurt and disappointment for Celtic fans being overtaken by the need to identify and recruit a replacement of a similar standard.
UPDATE: Al-Ittihad are in advanced talks with Celtic to sign Jota for a deal worth £25m.
It’s understood negotiations are centred around the initial fee and structure of payments & add-ons.
Personal terms with the Saudi club are likely to be a formality. https://t.co/ZSuua8oCEg
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 1, 2023
Ange Postecoglou build up a strong squad over his two years at the club but Jota, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo formed the core that would always play when fit.
Towards the end of the season it became clear the influence that Carter-Vickers exerts over the whole defence with Jota as influential as any attacker.
Scoring in three of last season’s Glasgow Derbies demonstrated his value to the team with his two strikes in April proving decisive.
At Celtic Park he had a lot of work to do to take advantage of John Souttar’s gifted pass, a few weeks later he was way ahead of James Tavernier as he anticipated the cross from Daizen Maeda as the Ibrox defenders stood around waiting for a free-kick against them.
Even with Benfica picking up a third of the fee Celtic are set to collect a profit of around £13m on Jota as well as enjoying two outstanding seasons that delivered group stage Champions League football each time.
