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Cissokho likes Liverpool link

Liverpool were linked with Aly Cissokho during his time at Lyon © PA Photos

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Valencia full-back Aly Cissokho has admitted he is flattered to be linked with Liverpool and reaffirmed his love of the English game.

Cissokho, 25, was linked with a switch to Anfield while at Lyon, and though he joined Valencia last summer, his name continues to be mentioned as a potential addition to Brendan Rodgers' squad.

"I've never hidden the fact that the English league is the one that attracts me the most. It's pleasing to see my name linked to Liverpool," he told Le Parisien newspaper. "They're a great club, and not just anyone can wear that shirt. But it's still just an article in a newspaper."

A transfer to England would be a further step up for a player whose breakthrough came when he was spotted by Portuguese side Vitoria Setubal while playing for Gueugnon in Ligue 2. A subsequent move to Porto and then Lyon allowed him the opportunity to gain international recognition.

Since making his France debut in 2010, however, he has yet to add to his single cap, though he will have the opportunity to impress current national team boss Didier Deschamps on Wednesday. Les Bleus' coach will be at the Parc des Princes to see Cissokho up against Paris Saint-Germain and one of his boyhood idols in a Champions League last-16 tie.

"When I was little, I was a Manchester United fan, and so also of David Beckham. It's strange to think I'll be playing against him, but it's not the first time I'll have come up against great players," Cissokho said, conceding there was one of the former England captain's team-mates he fears.

"[Ezequiel] Lavezzi. I already knew him a little bit from his time at Napoli, but I saw in the first leg he's really very good technically and also in terms of the hunger he shows. He reminds me of Lisandro Lopez."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.