Real pay-off may help Huntelaar move

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is ready to break the bank for Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The News of the World says Redknapp will fly to Amsterdam this week to make Huntelaar the highest-paid player in Tottenham's history.

A fee of around £18million was agreed in principle with Real Madrid, shortly before Redknapp travelled to Holland 10 days ago for talks with the player's representatives. And the Spurs boss will return this week with a package that could be worth more than £90,000 a week depending on appearances and goals.

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Well... Looks like Arsenal is going to spoil Harry's plans...

marcteng SG

dun join spurs lar join arsenal for CL

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Peter Crouch is expected to have a medical today to complete his move from Portsmouth to Tottenham Hotspur.

The fee is believed to be about £10 million and if the transfer is completed in time, the England forward has an outside chance of joining his new team-mates when they fly out for their pre-season tour to China today.

It is the fourth time that Crouch will have played under Redknapp. He managed the player at Southampton during his brief spell in charge there and paid £10 million to Liverpool to bring him to Portsmouth — the player’s second spell at Fratton Park — little more than a year ago. The South Coast club had agreed a £12 million fee with Sunderland earlier this summer but Crouch turned down the move.

His arrival at White Hart Lane — on a four-year contract — will raise eyebrows in certain quarters, but Redknapp left no doubt about his appreciation of the 6ft 7in forward after watching his team lose 2-0 against Celtic in the Wembley Cup yesterday.

Crouch has not been Tottenham’s first option, but he will cost about half the fee of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, whose £90,000-a-week wage demands have proved a stumbling block. Should the England international join, Redknapp would rekindle Crouch’s partnership with Jermain Defoe that was fashioned at Portsmouth a year ago.

Crouch has had six clubs and has now generated about £35 million in transfer fees since he first left Tottenham nine years ago.

“He is different because he can hold the ball up and we don’t do that well enough,” Redknapp said. “He gives me an option.”

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Huntelaar24

Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is reportedly seeking a £4.3 million pay-off from the Bernabeu giants, which could help facilitate a summer switch to the Premier League.

Huntelaar's future in the Spanish capital - along with several of his fellow countrymen - has been cast into doubt following the return of former president Florentino Perez, who has already splashed more than €200 million on stellar signings including Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

The striker has been linked with a move to several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs, while Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart had agreed a deal with Real, only for the player to snub the opportunity to join the German outfit.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp confirmed on Friday that he was interested in bringing the ex-Ajax goal-getter, who has totalled 143 league goals in 203 club appearances to date, to White Hart Lane.

But he conceded that he was reluctant to shell out silly money to land Huntelaar, saying: "his wages are beyond us ... I can't see it happening."

However, the Dutchman is now believed to be seeking a £4.3 million going-away-present from the 31-time la Liga champions, which would allow him to accept a considerably lower amount of wages from prospective new employers.

The striker is believed to currently earn £55,000 per week after tax in Spain.