By John Cross
Spurs have closed in on a £15million deal for Moussa Dembele as part of a plan that could see Jermain Defoe and Rafael van der Vaart leave.
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is confident of landing the Fulham midfielder after activating a buy-out clause in his contract with the two clubs said to have agreed a fee.
But Villas-Boas’ spending will not stop there as he has also made moves for Joao Moutinho and Russian star Alan Dzagoev.
Villas-Boas wants Portugal midfielder Moutinho but his club Porto are holding out for £25m, which is above Spurs’ valuation.
And after his bid for striker Willian was rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk, Villas Boas has switch attention to CSKA Moscow’s Dzagoev, whose impressive form for Russia at Euro 2012 has put him in the £20m bracket.
Defoe and Van der Vaart could be on their way out if Spurs bring in replacements before the transfer deadline on Friday.
Hamburg remain interested in Van der Vaart, while Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham are all keen on England striker Defoe.
* SUNDERLAND midfielder and full-back Kieran Richardson is in talks with Fulham after the two clubs agreed a fee for his transfer.
Richardson was not included in the 18 for Tuesday night’s Capital One Cup second-round victory over Morecambe.
