Celtic 'expected' to finalise Jota deal 'soon' after £6.7m update - pundit

Alan Hutton has tipped Celtic to try and push through a permanent deal for Jota "as soon as possible" after his "incredible" loan spell.

The former Scotland defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the 23-year-old has proven his worth to the Bhoys since joining from Benfica.

As reported by Portuguese publication Jornal de Noticias earlier this month (2 May), Celtic have informed Benfica they plan on triggering the £6.7million (€7.5million) purchase clause in Jota's loan terms.

As quoted by Football Scotland (6 May), Ange Postecoglou confirmed talks are underway and he is hopeful of a deal being struck.

Hutton revealed he "expects" the Bhoys to try get a deal done sooner rather than later.

"Jota's only 23-years-old, he's still developing. He's probably only going to get better, I think he can get better.

"What he's done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he's not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there's a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he's stood up to that task.

"Jota's that player fans want to see. He's exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes.

"So for £6.7million, I would expect them to do that as soon as possible. That means he is settled as a player and all the Celtic fans are happy. He can then just concentrate solely on his football moving forward."

Jota has scored 12 goals and contributed 14 assists in 38 appearances for Celtic.

He has played 34 times for Benfica since breaking through the youth ranks.

In other news, Celtic icon expects 2021 signing to be sold this summer.