Former Liverpool FC striker Djibril Cisse is reported to have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to blackmail France international Mathieu Valbuena.

The 34-year-old, once the Reds’ record signing, was one of four men taken in police custody on Tuesday morning, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

AFP, however, report that a “source close to the investigation”, which is being conducted by police in Versailles, expects the ex-Reds man to be “quickly exonerated” of the charges, with the other three suspects said to be the “principals.”

Mathieu Valbuena
Mathieu Valbuena

It is alleged that three of the men – Cisse excluded – are in possession of a sex-tape with which they planned to extort money from Valbuena, the Lyon and France midfielder.

Cisse was detained in Paris, with further arrests made in the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Oise.

“The existence of an intimate video has not been proven,” said the source.

Liverpool's Djibril Cisse celebrates victory with The UEFA Champions League Trophy

Cisse made 79 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2006, scoring 24 goals and winning both the Champions League and FA Cup at Anfield.

Djibril Cisse scores a superb volley to bring his team back into the game as the Reds eventually mark his final game for the club by winning the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham in Cardiff
Djibril Cisse scores a superb volley to bring his team back into the game as the Reds eventually mark his final game for the club by winning the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham in Cardiff

He was released by Ligue 1 outfit SC Bastia in the summer, and has since appeared for JS Saint-Pierroise in the overseas French territory of Reunion.

Last week, he was in the headlines after branding ex-wife Jude “a disgrace”, after she had appeared on a Channel 5 show about celebrities who flaunt their wealth.