Jota is expected to arrive in France today as he undergoes a medical before ending his 12-month Saudi nightmare. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Rennes will pay just £6.75m for his services - representing a whopping £18.25m loss for Al Ittihad.

After a long period of negotiations, Rennes could finally be close to signing Jota from Al Ittihad permanently. According to Le Parisien, the French club has everything agreed with the Saudi club and will pay eight million euros to acquire the Portuguese winger.

Rennes is set to acquire Portuguese forward Jota, who is 25 years old. Formerly not wanted by Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, the ex-Celtic star will strengthen Julien Stéphan's offensive line in Ligue 1. Although a loan was initially considered, Le Parisien reported that Jota would join Rennes through a permanent transfer. Rennes will pay only 8 million euros for his services, despite Al-Ittihad having spent 30 million euros to acquire him a year ago. Only a few formalities remain to be completed.

Jota is set to sign for French side Rennes on loan to end his time at Al-Ittihad. He has been looking for a way out of the Saudi Pro League side ever since signing in a £25million deal from Celtic last summer due to being left off their squad registration. Fabrizio Romano reported that a deal has been agreed and will soon be formalised.

Rennes have agreed deal to sign Jota on loan from Al Ittihad.

Reports in France suggested that Rennes are locked in talks over a deal to sign Jota. The move would depend on Al Ittihad softening their stance as they prefer to offload him on a permanent basis. Jota's £200k-per-week salary is also a major stumbling block, but his representatives would attempt to negotiate a financial package with Al Ittihad.

Jota, who arrived last season at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, did not have the expected adventure. He faced challenges from the beginning as he was not registered with the Saudi Pro League. This summer, Jota and Al-Ittihad mutually agreed on his departure. Rennes appears to be the frontrunner to acquire him, with negotiations reportedly progressing well. Laurent Blanc indicated that Jota is leaving and is in discussions with another club.

Rennes is interested in signing Jota. French newspaper Ouest-France reported that Rennes has already started negotiations with Al Ittihad for the transfer of the 25-year-old player. The source noted the difficulty of the deal due to Al Ittihad wanting to recover the total amount, or at least part of the 30 million euros they paid to Celtic for the Portuguese international in 2023, and the high salary that the player earns. Nevertheless, talks are ongoing.