Rapidly intensifying talk of Jota becoming the latest major acquisition by a Saudi club has caught many Celtic fans by surprise.
But it makes a lot more sense than it seems when you consider super agent Jorge Mendes is involved in the latest deal that will further legitimise the Saudi Pro League if it goes through. The Saudis are making moves that has the Premier League nervous, spending the kind of money even the biggest teams in Europe can only dream of to land the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Recently though, they have gone beyond the tried-and-tested veteran players past their best and landed some stars at the peak of their powers.
Ruben Neves is one that got plenty of people talking; the former Wolves playmaker only turned 26 in March and could have taken his pick of Champions League clubs, but instead he's headed to Al-Hilal and is one six major players to have announced his move to the Middle East. He too is represented by Mendes, who has long been the man driving deals for top Portuguese talents across the world.
There was an assumption that he was behind Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia, but the two had broken up by then and he had no involvement in the £175m-per-year agreement with Al-Nassr. Mendes though, was the driving force that took Neves to Saudi Arabia and reports say he is pushing for Man City's Bernardo Silva, another Portugal superstar also in the crosshairs of PSG, to link up with him at Al-Hilal.
And the two Portuguese stars could soon be joined by Jota if indeed he completes a megabucks move to Al-Ittihad, joining Benzema and N'Golo Kante in a soon-to-be star-studded side. Mendes might have had no say in the initial deal that took Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia but there can be no denying he is swimming in its wake and Jota is the latest example of that.
No fee has been touted for the Celtic star yet but Neves moved for close to £50m, while £17m was forked out for Kalidou Koulibaly and £16m was spent on Edouard Mendy. All of those stars will be taking home money that dwarves their previous salaries.
But with stars like Jota and Neves making the switch in their mid 20s with their peaks still ahead of them, the Saudi bankrollers - aided by influential super agents like Mendes - seem determined to legitimise themselves as more than just a final payday for ageing superstars.
