Al-Ittihad's Jota 'keen on January move to Tottenham Hotspur'

The Portuguese frontman was a vital component of the Australian's treble-winning Bhoys team last season, having originally joined on loan from Benfica before making his stay permanent in 2022.

Jota hit double figures in both goals and assists in the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership campaign, amassing 11 goals and 10 assists in 29 matches while also netting twice in the Champions League.

The 24-year-old's exploits attracted the attention of Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad, who paid £25m to prise him away from Celtic during the lavish summer of Middle East spending.

However, with Fabinho, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Luiz Felipe also touching down at Al-Ittihad over the summer, Jota was brutally axed from their Saudi Pro League squad under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The attacker scored once in his first five Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ittihad, who are now managed by Marcelo Gallardo, but he has now gone three months without playing a top-flight fixture.

Since the start of September, Jota has been restricted to three starts in the AFC Champions League, and his predicament has naturally led to rumours surrounding an early exit from Al-Ittihad, who have him under contract until 2026.

According to The Sun, Jota is pining for a move away from the Gulf state and hopes to work under Postecoglou again at Tottenham, who are being tipped to add to their offensive ranks in January.

Both Spurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers are said to have registered their interest in a winter move, but the Lilywhites are only prepared to take him on loan given his lack of domestic minutes this season.

Furthermore, the report adds that Postecoglou is still undecided on a swoop for his former Celtic attacker, as he harbours doubts about his ability to adapt to the demands of Premier League football.

Nevertheless, Tottenham are expected to strengthen their wide options midway through the season, having seen all of Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon undergo surgery this year.

Richarlison is also working his way back from a groin operation, while Son Heung-min has often been deployed in a central role, leaving Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Bryan Gil as Postecoglou's only senior wingers.

Kulusevski is the oldest of the three at just 23, but Spurs are still said to be eyeing younger options, namely PSV Eindhoven's Johan Bakayoko and Juventus' Samuel Iling-Junior.

A new centre-back is also on the agenda in the wake of Micky van de Ven's serious thigh problem, while Rodrigo Bentancur will miss a couple of months with an ankle injury, which could trigger the pursuit of another midfielder in January.

Tottenham travel to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon occupying fifth place in the Premier League table on the back of three consecutive defeats to Chelsea, Wolves and Aston Villa, and Spurs could now lose four top-flight games on the bounce for the first time since 2004.