Mercato: Benzema and Kanté's club set their sights on Portuguese talent!
Represented by Jorge Mendes, like Ruben Neves who has just signed for Al-Hilal, Portuguese winger Jota could leave Celtic for Al-Ittihad, the new Saudi club owned by Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté.
Determined to recruit more than just thirty-somethings at the end of their careers, Saudi Arabia has its sights set on younger players, such as Portuguese winger Jota of Celtic FC (not to be confused with Liverpool's Jota). Aged 24, Jota is coming off a superb season with the Scottish club, with whom he won the treble and played 43 matches, scoring 15 goals and providing 12 assists.
According to several Scottish media reports, Saudi club Al-Ittihad are keen to sign Jota for a fee of between €23 and €29 million. His former club Benfica would normally receive 30% of this sum. According to the Daily Mail, Jota could earn more than €11 million net per year at Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté's Saudi club.
Al Ittihad are closing in on deal to sign Celtic star Jota! Agreement is being discussed between all parties and it’s now very close. Still not signed. 🚨🇸🇦 transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2023
Jota, keen on the transfer — waiting to discuss final contract details. pic.twitter.com/3UOwHlDe3K
On Twitter, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed in recent hours that the transfer is well advanced and close to completion.