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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Ex-Celtic ace Jota thrown Al-Ittihad transfer lifeline

Former Celtic star Jota has reportedly been thrown a transfer lifeline amid his messy Al-Ittihad situation.

The 24-year-old joined the Saudi Pro-League champions from the Hoops at the end of June for £25m.

The Portuguese winger moved to the Middle East for life-changing money.

But his short stint at Al-Ittihad has not gone to plan so far. 

It's been widely reported for weeks now that the club is ready to sanction a move for Jota already after just a couple of months.

The ex-Hoops ace faces being left out of the club's first-team squad as they can only register eight foreign players.

So, that means he would be forced to sit on the sidelines until an opportunity to move came around, or a non-domestic fixture.

However, according to IttiMania, Fenerbahce are looking to sign Jota on loan.

The Turkish transfer deadline is not until September 15 and that would allow for time for the club to seal the deal.

Should a deal go through, then it would see him link-up with former Rangers winger Ryan Kent.

Meanwhile, Reo Hatate will be like a new £10m signing for Celtic upon his return from injury.

Chris Sutton believes the midfielder will go on to rediscover his form of last season under Brendan Rodgers.

The former Hoops striker has made no secret of the fact he found it baffling that Hatate didn't start the first two games of the season for the champions.

The Japanese star would eventually pick up a calf strain after coming off the bench against Aberdeen, which has ruled him out until after the international break.

Sutton hinted the strange situation could've been transfer-related, and there was certainly no shortage of clubs interested in Hatate.

But the pundit cannot wait to see him back in the starting XI under Rodgers.

He wrote in the Daily Record: "Reo Hatate could end up looking like Celtic’s 10th new summer signing.

"If Brendan Rodgers gets him back and flying, it’ll be like adding a brand-new £10m player with the window just closed.

"I’ve had my say on Hatate’s situation through the opening couple of weeks of the season. It was hard for me to grasp how the Japanese couldn’t be seen as a certainty to start for Rodgers given he has so much quality."

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