Celtic fans were left distraught last summer when Jota left the club to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25 million.
Ultimately, it became a case of money that the club or player couldn’t turn down in a record sale, but his spell in Saudi Arabia hasn’t gone as many envisaged.
The Portuguese winger has made 25 appearances for the Pro League outfit across all competitions, registering five goals and an assist.
Compare that with his 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 outings for Celtic, and you begin to see the pattern alluded to with Jota.
He was even left out of Al-Ittihad’s squad at one point due to registration problems with foreign players in Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, that is all in the past, but reports suggest he could now be set to return to European football this summer.
Jota could return to European football with Stade Rennais
According to journalist Benjamin Quarez on X, Jota looks set to join Stade Rennais, and negotiations are said to be well done the line ahead of his prospective return to the European football scene.
He stated (translated via DeepL): “Jota is expected to join Rennes in the coming days. Negotiations well advanced for Al-Ittihad winger. Not much more needed to complete the deal #mercato
@leparisiensport.”
Earlier in the window, Al-Ittihad made their decision on Jota, making him available for a departure in an attempt to cut their foreign contingent.
Despite being tipped to make a return to Celtic by Michael Stewart, it has never felt like a realistic option due to the finances that would likely be involved in pulling it off.
Ligue 1 now appears to be his most likely landing spot. Hopefully, he can hit the ground running in France if a deal is completed between both clubs.
If he can produce anything like his exploits while at Celtic, you get the impression he could make a real impact for Rennes.
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