Tottenham have stepped up their interest in signing Jota from Al-Ittihad, according to a report.

It's believed that Ange Postecoglou will look to reunite with the 25-year-old, who he of course signed for Celtic during his time in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old's £25m move to Saudi Arabia has not worked out, with a distinct lack of game time. He fell foul of the club's requirement to trim their squad due to league regulations regarding their foreign player quota.

New boss Marcelo Gallardo did hand the Portuguese star a start in the AFC Champions League against FC AGMK recently.

However, despite Jota being given a chance to impress on the continent, it's said that the Saudi Pro League champions are open to allowing him to leave on loan.

Rumours have been swirling that Celtic would be interested in having him back in order to help him get his career back on track. 

Brendan Rodgers was asked about him at the club's AGM last Wednesday, as he insisted he would need to talk to CEO Michael Nicholson about any potential moves.

But it appears Postecoglou is keen on making Spurs the frontrunners for the acquisition of Jota this January, as he looks to bolster his side's attack. 

The Times reports that Spurs are looking for 'short-term' cover on the wings, with both Manor Solomon and Ivan Perisic out for the foreseeable.

While centre-back reinforcements remain their recruitment priority, there could be room to bring Jota in too, as this report states they have 'stepped up their interest' in the player.

READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers on need for Celtic discipline to avoid 'impossible' task

Meanwhile, given that the deck is already stacked against clubs of Celtic’s means in the Champions League, the last thing they need is to make a difficult task a near-impossible one.

That’s what they have conspired to do though so far on their travels in the Champions League.

That’s the view of their manager, Brendan Rodgers, who may not necessarily agree with the individual decisions to send off three of his men between their visits to Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid, but who has this week been stressing to his players the importance of keeping their full quota on the pitch in Rome.