Tottenham Hotspur 'step up interest in Al-Ittihad's Jota'

The 24-year-old has experienced a difficult time since joining Al-Ittihad from Celtic for £25m in the summer transfer window.

Jota featured as a substitute in Al-Ittihad's opening five league games, but he has been unable to play in the Saudi Pro League since September.

The Portuguese attacker is ineligible to play due to a rule limiting Saudi Pro League clubs to eight foreign players in their squad.

In addition to Jota, the Saudi Arabian side brought in a number of players from overseas in the summer, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho and Luiz Felipe.

With Jota unable to feature in the domestic league, his only three appearances in the last two months have taken place in the AFC Champions League.

According to The Times, Tottenham could offer Jota a way out of Al-Ittihad, with the Premier League club stepping up their pursuit to secure his services.

Spurs are believed to be prioritising a centre-back in the January window, but they are also looking at short-term cover on the flanks due to a couple of injuries.

Tottenham will be without Croatia international Ivan Perisic for the remainder of the season after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September.

Manor Salomon, who picked up an injury in training, underwent knee surgery last month and his recovery process will keep him out until the new year.

As a result, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been left with Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Bryan Gil as his wide options.

With Al-Ittihad prepared to entertain a loan departure for Jota, Tottenham could look to bring him in on a temporary deal until the end of the season.

Postecoglou is fully aware of Jota's capabilities after working with the winger during his time as Celtic manager.

In two seasons with the Scottish giants, Jota scored 28 goals and provided 26 assists in 83 appearances across all competitions.