Celtic are set to collect a fee in excess of £20m with only a late hitch preventing Jota from joining Saudi club Al Ittihad where he will be a team-mate of Karim Benzena.
Benfica are due a sizeable slice of the profit after selling the winger to Celtic last summer with Brendan Rodgers’ transfer fund significantly topped up as he looks to fill a major hole in the squad he has inherited from Ange Postecpglou.
Late this afternoon a report emerged that terms had been agreed between the player and Al Ittihad leaving Celtic to negotiate the best possible terms on a player with four years to run on his contract.
Postecoglou regularly played four wingers during matches but with his ability to play on either flank and to find the net Jota made a bigger contribution than anyone else in that position, scoring in three Glasgow Derbies in the season just finished as well as in the final of the Scottish Cup.
Stephen McGowan has a greater grasp on Celtic matters than any other reporter, in the Daily Mail he explains:
CELTIC are set to sell winger Jota to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth more than £20million.
Signed from Benfica for £7m last summer, the Portuguese wide man has agreed terms on a life-changing salary in excess of £10m-a-year tax-free.
Real Madrid legend and Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante have already completed money moves to Al Ittihad.
Coached by Nuno Espirito Santos, a Jota deal is now being finalised by Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes.
Signed initially on loan from Benfica by Ange Postecoglou, the attacker agreed to move to Glasgow on a permanent deal last July. He claimed 15 goals in 43 appearances – including a stunning free-kick in a heavy defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League – as Celtic secured a domestic treble.
Now, barring a late hitch, the 24-year-old will follow Postecoglou out the door to join countryman Cristiano Ronaldo in a Saudi Pro League hoovering up some of Europe’s top talents.
The country’s Sovereign Wealth Fun recently took control of four teams – including Al Ittihad – sparking a frenzied spending spree.
The report concluded with:
Already handed a sizeable budget for signings, Brendan Rodgers will be handed much of the Jota profit – after Benfica claim a hefty sell-on fee – to re-invest in the squad. Celtic have already signed 20-year-old Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and have now agreed terms with Australian international winger Marco Tilio.
In January Celtic made a net profit on transfer business with Giorgos Giakoumakis and Josip Juranovic moving on after 18 months in Scotland.
The club doubles its money in a year is decent.
And fair play: £200K – tax free – a week is indeed life changing for Jota.
Good luck to him.
…just want a BIG signing announced at Celtic Park, ASAP. 🙂
There may well be a release clause in Jota contact, which would be easy enough for a Saudi club to activate.
Not a lot we can actually do as a club to prevent it either.
Now what that sum is? Remains anyone’s guess, but wouldn’t say it’s as high as we would like it to be, as Jota wages would have had to follow suit also.
To think that there might only be a profit of somewhere between 10 to 15M for the club, for Jota would be a bit disappointing, taking into account if such figures are true.
Good business by the club, definatley a loss but not nothing that cant be sorted.
Can’t be sorted it’s took us years to bring it a bunch of players like we have just now BUT just punt the and buy superior plays
ers, and WHERE are we going to magic up said players, this could Snowball to 2/3/4/or More players Group stage Champions league coming up August and Perter and D.D. and Brendan Rodgers are going to get in the quality of players we are going to need, and get them up to speed, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. HAIL HAIL ????
If this is from The Scottish Media then I ain’t believing it and certainly not the low fee being quoted for sure…
Players come and go all the time now and as a Hoops fanatic I’m getting well used to it but I’d be looking for a far higher transfer fee…
In the event if he does go (And that’s a bloody BIG IF) then hopefully the club will confirm the true fee and / or someone from fan media can get close to the correct insiders within the club to find out the true fee, for as sure as night follows day I won’t be believing any quote regurgitated from Scottish Football mainstream media for sure !
SO MUCH FOR PUTTING A SQUAD TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD IN EUROPE, BUT ALREADY THERE SELLING ONE OF OUR TOP PLAYERS FROM LAST SEASON JOTA GAVE US ALL THE TALK ABOUT LOVING THE CLUB THE FANS AND ALL THE USUAL RUBBISH THEY SPOUT, RODGERS AND THE BOARD KNOW ALL THIS IN ADVANCE, ALL LIES AGAIN THE FANS DONT DESERVE THIS BACKSTABBING. I LOVE CELTIC BUT WE ARE GETTING USED BY PLAYERS AND THE BOARD. JUDAS PIECES OF GOLD. PETER LEWELL AND D.D . AND THE REST. SHAME ON YOU ALL. HAIL HAIL. THERE WILL BE A CELTIC WHEN THEY ARE ALL GONE. TRAITORS.
It’s a business, it’s a career for these guys. It’s not about you or your emotions. That went out with the bows and arrows, things move on and you need to move on with it.
All that talk from Jota about The Right Club, Culture and Support – was just that – Talk!
A load of tosh or even a pack of lies!
First sniff of money – and he’s offsky – or gahdar!
He’ll be able to spend the next few years building up his pension. He may able to retire when he’s thirty. Then what?
And he will have to adjust again to a new culture. Might be a bit of a shock, even for one who seems able to read the locals so well!
He won’t be able to buy himself a bottle of Lucozade at the Saudi corner shop though?
And all those restrictions placed on citizens there?
He will have to change, change utterly!
So, good luck to him.
It might even prove to be a change for the better!
Yesssss, amazing news, that’s our club working at its maximum.
Thanks Jota, enjoy your cash pal, you earned it for your hunskelping.
Once again we see a promising team broken up.
Manager leaves and now Jota looks to be off. I’d thought it was going tk be Abada who was leaving.
As long as the money is reinvested and by that I don’t mean classed as money in the existing budget. It must be added to what the manager was already promised otherwise we are never going to grow as a club a d it is a return to Lawwell ball.
Due to my deep mistrust of the man, I believe everything has gone into reverse ever since he took up his role in January.
No players bought early but players leaving. Granted Rodgers will want to assess what the recruitment team has done but it is all very frustrating.
Considering Benfica have a hefty sell on clause £20M does seem a bit light for a guy who has four years left on his contract.
The figures getting quoted for his wages!!! Good luck to him. This is the new reality.
This just doesn’t add up…..
They are offering a player £12m (Inc tax) per year in wages yet are only paying £20m for him ????
Don’t be surprised if the fee is far higher than is being reported… expect a “Record Transfer Fee” comment from Celtic FC….
HH