With Alexandro Bernabei in the door, all eyes are now on Jota as Ange Postecoglou lines up his fifth signing of the summer. And while Benfica have reportedly been snubbed by a potential replacement for the winger, it remains just a matter of time before he returns on a permanent deal.
Record Sport reported earlier this month deals for Bernabei and Jota were well under way, but that the Argentine left-back was set to be announced first. And with Lanus confirming this morning that he has joined Celtic, it's now over to the Portuguese where the finishing touches to his contract are being made. A Celtic source told us the deal "is just about done".
Benfica are keen to move him on and the Scottish Premiership champions have agreed to pay his £6.4million release clause. And while there is some anxiety among fans as the club return for pre-season training without their talisman, reports in Portugal on Wednesday claimed an agreement would be reached "soon".
That is still expected to be the case despite news that talented Le Havre youngster Andy Logbo has snubbed a move to Benfica. The 18-year-old has decided to stay in France, according to Foot Normand , with the Lisbon giants left wanting in their bid to strengthen their attacking ranks.
However Jota's time at the club seems to have come and gone as they look to splash the cash earned from Darwin Nunez's move to Liverpool. They have already landed Brazilian winger David Neres and Argentine attacking midfielder Enzo Fernandez, while Real Madrid youngster Reinier is believed to be in talks over a loan deal.
Postecoglou will be hoping to tie Jota down before the club fly out to Austria for a training camp this week, as he'll want the wing wizard to get a full pre-season under his belt ahead of a tilt at the Champions League. Their first match is against SC Wiener Victoria on July 6, so a deal may well be concluded before then to allow Jota to feature. In fact, it’s likely Jota will be announced on Friday.
