Celtic have thrown their hat in the ring to sign a new "incredible" player in January, and he’d consider a move to Glasgow, according to one new report.
Celtic transfer news…
The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers were extremely productive in the summer transfer window, bringing in 10 new players and still making a profit following Jota’s big-money move to Saudi Arabia with Al Ittihad.
Celtic summer signings
Former club
Price
Maik Nawrocki
Legia Warsaw
£4.3m
Luis Palma
Aris Saloniki
£4.1m
Gustaf Lagerbielke
Elfsborg
£2.9m
Odin Thiago Holm
Valerenga
£2.6m
Hyun-jun Yang
Gangwon FC
£2.1m
Marco Tilio
Melbourne City
£1.5m
Hyeok-kyu Kwon
Busan IPark
£875,000
Tomoki Iwata
Yokohama F. M.
£838,000
Nathaniel Phillips
Liverpool
Loan
Paulo Bernardo
Benfica
Loan
However, things haven’t gone to plan for the former Celtic star, who was left out of Al Ittihad's league squad due to rules on overseas players being registered. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for his new side since the middle of September, which has led to rumours of a possible return to Celtic Park.
Now, in a new Jota to Celtic transfer update shared by TEAMtalk, the Hoops ‘have thrown their hat into the ring’ to re-sign the forward, should he become available as expected. The report adds that Jota would consider a return to Scotland, however, Tottenham, and former manager Ange Postecoglou, are also interested in the player.
Jota at Celtic…
Jota really made a name for himself at Celtic Park after initially joining on loan from Benfica back in 2021. The winger contributed to a whopping 27 goals during his temporary stay at Celtic Park, which resulted in praise from Alan Hutton, who said:
“He’s still developing. He’s probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he’s done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he’s not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there’s a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he’s stood up to that task.
“Jota’s that player fans want to see. He’s exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes.”
The Hoops then made a transfer permanent in 2022, and Jota once again starred in Scotland, this time scoring 15 goals and providing 12 assists to help the club win a domestic treble. (Jota Celtic stats – Transfermarkt)
Therefore, you can see why there was interest earlier this year and a big money exit, but with things not working out for the Portuguese attacker in Saudi Arabia, a return to Scotland could well be one to keep an eye on following this recent update.