Spurs boss Redknapp closes in on £13m Real striker Alvaro Negredo

16 July 2009 16:54
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo is expected to sign for Tottenham Hotspur before the weekend, according to reports in Spain. The north London club have been in talks with the Spanish giants about a number of players since the end of the season and appear to be on the verge of agreeing a deal for the 23-year-old Spaniard. Tottenham gave up on a bid for former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy last month amid doubts over his knee injury plus high wage demands. They moved on to talks to sign striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, former Chelsea forward Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze. But the move for Negredo indicates they are losing to Stuttgart in their pursuit of Holland striker Huntelaar. Madrid intend to offload at least five players in the next few days to fund a final spending spree before the end of the month. A midfielder is their priority, with Liverpool's Xabi Alonso still their No 1 target. Negredo is also thought to have been offered a switch to Anfield in a bid to sweeten the deal for Spain international Alonso. Negredo is expected to be sold for between £13million and £15.5m, which would represent good business for the Spanish giants. Madrid sold him to Almeria two summers ago, but exercised a buyback option last month worth £4.3m. However, his chances are limited at the Bernabeu with a squad that also includes Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema. Meanwhile, Madrid are unmoved by criticism of their near £200m summer spending spree with projections from the club saying that profits of more than £75m a year will pay for £56m Kaka and £80m Ronaldo in under two years.

Source: Daily_Mail