Spurs join chase for Arshavin
21 Jul 2008 - 11:31:27
Zenit St Petersburg claim Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Russia star Andrei Arshavin.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has been linked with moves to Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona following his starring role in Russia's march to the semi-finals of Euro 2008 this summer.
As yet, no club has met Zenit's ambitious asking price of over £20million and both Chelsea and Barcelona appear to have moved on to other targets after refusing to meet the valuation.
That has cleared the way for Spurs to lodge a bid for Arshavin, but even their opening offer has been dismissed by Zenit officials who remain intent on holding out for a major pay day.
"We have been in contact with Tottenham," spokesperson Konstantin Sarsaniya told the Russian press.
"This English club is really interested in acquiring Andrei, but our understanding is that 27 million euros is too high a price for them.
"For Spurs it is unacceptable. They are ready to pay approximately 20 million euros for Arshavin."
However, Spurs could reportedly return with a higher offer should the White Hart Lane coffers be boosted by the sale of strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.
