West Ham re-open transfer talks to sign Jota and end former Celtic star’s Saudi Arabian hell
WEST HAM have re-opened talks to sign ex-Celtic forward Jota from Al-Ittihad.
The Portuguese winger, 24, joined the Saudi Pro League champions for £25million in July but has endured a nightmare stint in the Middle East.
Jota could end his Saudi Arabian nightmare before the end of the windowGetty
Al-Ittihad failed to register him to play in the league as the division’s rules state each club is only allowed eight foreign players in their squad.
It means he has not featured in the Saudi Pro League since the start of September.
He has played just six times over the last four and a half months, with those appearances coming in the AFC Champions League and Club World Cup.
SunSport exclusively revealed back in November that his old Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou was weighing up a move for him in the January window as he looks to bolster his Tottenham side.
But now it appears West Ham are eyeing a deal for the attacker.
The switch would be a loan move if David Moyes‘ men are able to get it over the line – after they ended their interest in Nordsjaelland teenager Ibrahim Osman.
But it is also understood there is a tax issue involved in the deal for Jota which could prove difficult to resolve.
This is because Jota would have to pay a huge amount of tax to HMRC should he return to Britain having earned a tax-free salary in the Middle East.
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Jota’s Saudi Arabian nightmare
Jota moved for £25million from Celtic to Al-Ittihad in the summer – with the Saudi Pro League champions also signing Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
Yet his time in the Middle East has been a nightmare as Al-Ittihad decided not to register him for their squad to compete in the Saudi Pro League.
That was due to the division’s rules that clubs are only allowed eight foreign players in their contingent.
It means he has played 11 times since leaving Celtic and just six times since September.
And he now appears to have joined the likes of Jordan Henderson, Aymeric Laporte and Karim Benzema in wanting out of Saudi Arabia.
Foot Mercato are reporting positive talks have taken place between the clubs and that all parties believe an agreement can be reached.
Jota, who has scored two goals for Al-Ittihad, is waiting to be given the green light to travel to the UK to undergo his West Ham medical.
He is just the latest in a line of ex-European-based stars to be disgruntled by life in Saudi Arabia.
Jordan Henderson left Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq in the summer, only to terminate his own contract and sign for Ajax earlier this month.
Jota’s team-mate and Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema is being heavily linked with a move away from Al-Ittihad.
And former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte recently slammed the Riyadh traffic in a scathing assessment of the country’s transport network.
