'Talking...' - BBC man says Celtic hierarchy are working on secret deal behind the scenes

Former Scotland defender believes talks will already be ongoing behind the scenes at Celtic regarding the permanent transfer of Jota. 

Signed on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, according to a report from The Scotsman, the Hoops can land the 23-year-old permanently for £6million in the summer.

However, Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou recently claimed that talks over the permanent switch will have to wait until the end of the season as the Hoops look to wrap up a 52nd Scottish top-flight title.

One ex-Scottish Premiership man believes the deal could already be in the offing, though, with Hutton telling Football Insider the parts are likely moving behind the scenes…

Speaking to FI, former Rangers ace now BBC 5 Live pundit Hutton has suggested that the club’s hierarchy will be making plans as we speak.

“They will be talking about it in the background. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“It just hasn’t probably got out there into the public domain yet. There’s no doubting his quality, we see it.

“He scores goals, he assists, he’s a real threat on his day. They’ll want to tie him down, Postecoglou will want that to happen.

“Then he can move on to other areas of the pitch where he feels he needs to strengthen and this isn’t a distraction. So I’m pretty sure, in the background, they will be talking about it.”

Jota has been nothing short of sensational at Parkhead this season and wrapping up this deal, alongside the move for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers, should be regarded as a top priority for the summer.

So far this season the Portuguese attacker has scored 11 times and registered 12 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, earning a superb 7.53 average Sofascore rating in the process – the