Skip to main content
Daily Record

Jota at Rennes endgame after Celtic exit deja vu as dream return could hit fast track amid transfer 'interest'

The winger looks set to be moved on in January after a disappointing spell in France

Jota of Stade Rennes
Jota of Stade Rennes

Struggling Jota could reportedly be shown the door by Stade Rennes after just six months at the club.

The 25-year-old has looked to get his career back on track in Ligue 1 after he brought his nightmare spell in the Saudi Pro League to an end last summmer. The winger took the mega money offer on the table from Al-Ittihad to leave Celtic in the summer of 2023 for a whopping £25million - but the move didn't work out as he was almost instantly dropped from the squad list for league fixtures.


And the wide man must have a feeling of deja vu in France after being abruptly dropped out of the first-team plans by new boss Jorge Sampaoli last month. After his £6.7million move to Rennes, he appeared to be capturing his best form under then-manager Julian Stephen despite a sluggish run of results for his side - but the Argentine boss has yet to hand the summer recruit a single start since taking over last month.


According to L'Équipe, the Rennes hierarchy is keen to provide reinforcements across all positions for Sampaoli and are looking to sell off a number of fringe stars to fund the deals. They note that Jota could "already be set to leave" if an opportunity arises to cash in with the attacker "desiring" more game time.

It is noted that "discussions" have already taken place with his representatives over his future with "nothing off the table". Furthermore, it is claimed that unnamed clubs from the UK have already expressed an interest.

Article continues below

The hammerblow to his career comes after Jota hailed his time in the Scottish Premiership earlier this season. He admitted he couldn't wait to one day show his children Parkhead, telling the media in France: "You had to be in Glasgow at that moment to feel it. Playing at Celtic Park, feeling the love of the fans, having the chance to be coached by an incredible coach (Ange Postecoglou) in a group where everything turned out well.

"You have to thank everyone. I hope one day to be able to show my children what it was like, all the love I received. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It touched me because I didn’t expect it. When they started singing it, it was a very special moment.”

Article continues below

Could he get his dream move sooner than he thought? It remains to be seen if the Hoops are among the unnamed "interested" clubs at this early stage.

Follow Daily Record:


JotaCeltic Transfer NewsTransfer TalkScottish PremiershipCeltic FCSaudi Pro LeagueAnge Postecoglou
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.