Al Ittihad winger Jota is on the radars of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United ahead of the January transfer window, sources have confirmed to Sportybroker
Jota joined the reigning Saudi Arabian champions from Celtic back in July for a £25m fee, but his appearances have been limited due to remaining unregistered for domestic action. His last Saudi Pro League match came on September 1 before squads were finalised for the 2023/24 season, though he has since played two AFC Champions League games.
Sportybroker reported at the start of October that Jota was hoping to be released from his Al Ittihad contract in order to pursue an immediate move back to Europe, and though it is unlikely this wish will be granted at this stage, he will have suitors heading into the winter window.
Sources have told Sportybroker that Jota is in Tottenham’s thinking, with the signing of a new winger one of their priorities for the January window along with bringing in another defender – Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly remains of interest to them, while Everton’s Ben Godfrey has emerged as a target.
Spurs were interested in the possibility of signing Jota on a free transfer if his contract was terminated, and they would still consider a deal so long as Al Ittihad’s price tag isn’t prohibitive.
Sportybroker understands Newcastle are on the hunt for a new winger too. Given they and Al Ittihad are both owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a deal would theoretically be a smooth process, though the Premier League is expected to pass a motion next week preventing clubs from signing players on loan from affiliated sides.
Newcastle’s search for a new wide forward comes following long-term injuries to Jacob Murphy and summer signing Harvey Barnes, while Miguel Almiron sustained a hamstring problem prior to the international break.
Though turning to the market is a consideration, sources have told Betwizad Newcastle could recall 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh from Feyenoord following his excellent start to the season. However, they are wary of hampering his progress and ultimately would prefer him to stay at De Kuip until the end of the season.
Speaking about the possibility of bringing back Minteh earlier this month, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: “We’ll look at our players that are out on loan, with a view to whether they could potentially strengthen us. If it’s good for their career as well, then we’ll certainly look at what we can do.
“He [Minteh] has done very well, although unfortunately he’s injured at the moment. He’s come back for an assessment on that [hamstring] injury because we need to check and see how he is.
“We need to work out how serious the injury is and when he’ll be back and then we’ll make a decision on him, like we would with all our loan players.”
While he is open to all options at this stage, Jota would love to reunite with Ange Postecoglou having worked with him for two years at Celtic – who are also in the running to re-sign the winger.
