Spurs await van der Vaart clearance

Tottenham are hoping to receive confirmation from the Premier League that they beat the transfer deadline to sign Rafael van der Vaart. Spurs remain poised to land Tuesday's biggest coup as the window closed in unexpected drama.Manager Harry Redknapp revealed he became aware of Real Madrid midfielder Van der Vaart's availability for a cut-price £8million just two hours before the 6pm cut-off.But as night fell, there was still no confirmation from either club that the move had been completed in time.Redknapp claimed 27-year-old Holland star Van der Vaart had been due to join Bayern Munich for £18million but the move broke down.He said on Sky Sports News: "It's still dragging on."We have been trying to do something but we are waiting to see if it has all gone through and we are hoping it has."It's something to do with clearance."I think he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for £18million and suddenly he became much cheaper."They let me know around 4pm that he was available for £8million and, for that money, he is a top player who will definitely improve us."The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close."He's a great passer of the ball, he's a top footballer, he will join in here and be a big plus for us."Van der Vaart helped Holland reach this summer's World Cup final but has struggled to establish himself at Real since signing from Hamburg two years ago.Redknapp also revealed he had made an approach for Liverpool winger Ryan Babel, saying: "He was a player we made an enquiry about but it never came close."

Source: Team_Talk