Former Celtic winger Jota has held talks with three Premier League clubs including West Ham, according to a report.

The 24-year-old left Parkhead in the summer in a £25m switch to the Saudi League but has struggled to settle at Al-Ittihad.

Jota has played just 11 times for the Saudi club after being dropped from the squad for league competition due to a restriction on foreign players in each squad.

It has left Jota only eligible to compete for Ittihad in cup competitions. His last match for the club came against El Ahly in the Club World Cup last month.

Now, though, Jota could be handed an escape route from the club to move to the Premier League this month.

As reported by talkSPORT, Jota has held talks with three clubs in England's top flight over a return to the UK.

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The outlet claims West Ham is one of the clubs to have been in discussions over a deal to land Jota from Al-Ittihad. It's suggested David Moyes would be willing to give Jota the opportunity of regular game time.

It's not clear, however, whether it would be a loan switch or a permanent move away from the Saudi club.

Meanwhile, Celtic chiefs are reportedly braced for a transfer bidding war to break out for Matt O'Riley after Atletico Madrid tabled a loan-to-buy offer.

The Spanish giants made a formal offer to Celtic to land O'Riley on loan until the end of the season with an obligation to then purchase the player.

It's thought Celtic chiefs are ready to boot out the offer from Atletico but could face more big decisions over O'Riley's future in Glasgow with a host of clubs interested.