Tottenham and Napoli set for January transfer battle for Aston Villa defender Aly Cissokho

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move to sign Aston Villa defender Aly Cissokho in January, according to the Mirror.

The 27-year-old was on a season-long loan at Liverpool from Valencia last season and the Frenchman struggled to impress during his time at Anfield. He was then signed by Paul Lambert on a permanent transfer earlier this summer.

Since making a switch to Villa Park, Cissokho has started in 17 league games and has been in fine form this season. His performance has seen him attract interest from England and Italy in recent times.

Mauricio Pochettino has the services of Danny Rose and summer signing Ben Davies in the left-back position. However, the duo are yet to shine for the north London club and the former Southampton manager is looking to bring in another player in that position in January.

Tottenham also have Benoit Assou-Ekotto and the potential arrival of Cissokho at White Hart Lane in the mid-season transfer window is likely to see the Cameroonian international leave his current employers next month.

Any move from the Premier League outfit will see them face heavy competition from Napoli, who are also in the frame for Cissokho's services. The Italian side are ready for a January battle with Tottenham to sign the French left-back.

Villa have struggled in the league this campaign as they sit 12<sup>th in the table with 20 points after 17 games, five points above the danger zone. Cissokho is aware of the growing interest from Tottenham and Napoli.

The former Liverpool defender admitted that he is happy at Villa Park, but refused to commit his future to Villa.

"At the moment, I'm happy. I've been here for six months and I'm happy to be playing. I am playing and learning every game and I'm improving in my head and it is good. I hope to continue to play well and we'll see," Cissokho told Sky Sports.

"The first thing is to think about the safety for the club. After that, we can see if we can be in the top 10 or something like that. We have a good squad and if we climb up the table there will be less pressure, we'll see."