Benfica’s highly rated youngster Joao Filipe, commonly known as Jota, has been left out of Benfica’s 25-man Champions League squad to face PAOK.
The 21-year old winger is a player Benfica have been willing to allow to leave on loan this window, with plenty of competition in the side expected to completely block Jota’s chances of securing regular game time, and his absence from the Champions League squad has further sparked speculation of an imminent departure.
Nottingham Forest were widely considered a potential destination for Jota, though English reports went on to indicate that the English Championship club had no interest in signing the Portugal U21 international.
It was then understood that Valencia were the side best positioned to complete the loan signing of Jota, although reports in Spain quickly suggested that this was wide of the mark.
Further speculation then continued, with Everton and West Ham suggested as potential destinations for the young winger, though a move to the former seems unlikely.
It therefore remains to be seen where Jota will be playing for the upcoming season - though the signs suggest that it will be away from Benfica as he looks to continue his development.
David Tavares, who was another name that was closely linked to Nottingham Forest, has also been left out of Benfica’s squad, and is also expected to be loaned out this window. Tomas Tavares has also been omitted from the team for the crucial Champions League game.