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Mark Warburton has stepped up his move to land priority January target Jota Peleteiro by flying to Spain to hold face-to-face talks with the winger.

Record Sport understands Warburton made the secret trip at some point in the last seven days in a bid to personally persuade the 25-year-old to move to Glasgow.

Warburton signed Jota for Brentford from Celta Vigo for £1.3m in August 2014 and the player quickly became a key man in the London club’s push for promotion to the Premier League.

But Jota returned to Spain in January this year, joining Eibar on loan, and helping them to win a place in La Liga. And he’s now ready to return to Brentford six months ahead of schedule after falling out of the first team reckoning.

But Warburton believes he can lure Jota to Scotland as the player will be out of contract at Griffin Park in the summer and was not expected to return.

Meanwhile, Warburton’s headline act signing of the summer, Joey Barton, has made a return of his own to rejoin Burnley - just as Record Sport revealed he would when he exited Rangers last month.

Barton has not kicked a ball since playing for the Ibrox club in a 5-1 derby day thrashing at Parkhead in September but now hopes to kick-start his career with a six month deal at Turf Moor.

(Image: SNS)

The 34-year-old was voted Burnley’s player of the year last season after helping drive Sean Dyche’s side to promotion to the Premier League but then opted to move north rather than stay put for a survival battle in the top flight.

But his Rangers career ended in acrimony after a training ground bust up with Warburton days after that Old Firm humiliation.

Watch Jota in action