Celtic's Jota transfer 'delayed' due to Storm Eowyn as date for deal that will earn club £9m profit revealed

With star striker Kyogo Furuhashi jetting into France yesterday in order to complete a £10million deal in the opposite direction, the 25-year-old winger was expected to land in Glasgow Airport last night to thrash out personal terms and complete the medical that would seal his return to Celtic Park.

However, according to Sky Sports, the Portuguese player’s flight was cancelled due to the severe winds, meaning he has been forced to reschedule his travel plans, with Jota now expected to travel to Glasgow over the weekend instead to finalise personal terms and paperwork.

Should the move be completed without any problems, it would represent a remarkable piece of business for the Scottish champions, who only sold him to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad 18 months ago. The player originally moved to the club on a season long loan deal under Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2021, before agreeing a permanent transfer to the club a year later in a deal thought to be worth around £6million.

A huge success under ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou, Jota was targeted by several clubs across the world, before the he agreed a mammoth £25million transfer to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad. The forward struggled to break into the team under former head coach Nuno Espírito Santo though, and depart the club after just one year to join Rennes in Ligue 1.

The player’s move to France has not worked out for him though, with the player falling out of favour with new head coach Jorge Sampaoli almost instantly, with the Argentine head coach criticising his fitness levels publicly before he was forced to train with the club’s youth team and omitted from the squad entirely. With the deal for Jota’s return reported to be worth around £8million, it means Celtic have now purchased the player twice for a combined fee of £14million, all whilst making a profit of £9million due to his sale to Al-Ittihad two summer’s ago.

Meanwhile, Kyogo Furuhashi may not be the only striker departing the Hoops this month, after it was revealed EFL Championship strugglers Portsmouth are ‘keen’ on securing a deal for 18-year-old striker Daniel Cummings. The youngster has caught the attention of several sides in England after scoring 24 goals for Celtic’s B team. Cummings is out of contract in the summer, but has been offered a new deal by the club, who are aiming to keep the Scotland youth international at the club despite strong interest in his services.