Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful they can emerge from the transfer window stronger after getting ample notice of Kyogo Furuhashi’s exit and lining up Jota for a return.
Rodgers expects both deals with Rennes to be completed ahead of the final week of the window, which closes on February 3.
The return of fan favourite Jota 18 months after the Portuguese winger left for Saudi Arabia would soften the departure of a player who hit 85 goals for Celtic, but Rodgers will still be left with a vacancy at centre-forward.
“There obviously can be issues around the timing, but we have been aware. So it’s not something that’s just been sprung on us,” he said.
“We understand that we were going to lose him and we understand that we have to replace that quality to keep the team moving forward. So that’s something that has been ongoing for a little while and hopefully we can come out of the window with a stronger squad.”
Celtic appear set to receive an eight-figure fee for the 30-year-old but Rodgers was reluctant to see him leave.
“It’s nothing to do with the club,” he said. “Naturally, as a manager, I wouldn’t want to lose one of our top players and someone who fits in with how we want to play.
“Kyogo expressed an interest to leave a number of months back. That expression becomes stronger and obviously it gets to the stage where he clearly wants to leave. Sadly, we then have to do a deal and finalise that with him.
“He’s 30 years of age now and they want these new challenges. He’s achieved so much here at Celtic.
“But that opportunity at this time in his career to go into what would be one of the top five leagues was something that was maybe too good for him to turn down. But I think it was more just something new for him, a new challenge.
“He’s obviously loved the club, he’s loved everything about being here but players’ careers are short. As much as we want to convince them to stay and be here, the minute they want to move and the representatives say they want to move, then we have to do the best for the club.
“It’s just the nature of life here. Players do really well, they will move on. We just have to thank him, if the deal goes through, for everything he’s done here for Celtic.
“There’s still a while to go in the window. We certainly didn’t plan to sell Kyogo and then be any weaker. Our idea is to be stronger coming out of January.”
Jota will help that process. The 25-year-old former Benfica player hit 28 goals in two seasons in Glasgow and Rodgers is “very confident” he will make a similar impact after being disappointed not to get the chance to work with him initially when he started his second reign at Parkhead.
“I’ve spoken to him at length,” Rodgers said. “My feeling and advice to him was, come back and grow that legacy to be even greater.
“If you’re not happy in your work where you are or how it’s gone on for you, you know that this is a place where you will improve, you will develop.
“He’s at a different moment in his life now as well, even though he’s been away only a few years. I think he’ll come back with a real motivation.”
