Spurs are set to end their interest in luring
Russia forward Andrei Arshavin to White Hart Lane - but Roman
Pavlyuchenko is still an option.
Zenit St Petersburg have invited Spurs to make a bid
upwards of £20million for Arshavin, who caught the eye at Euro
2008, but it is understood that the Premier League club will focus
their attention elsewhere.
Dennis Lachter, Arshavin's advisor, had previously claimed that
the 27-year-old was ready to join Spurs and that head coach Juande
Ramos had "explained his vision of football" to the playmaker.
Lachter also spoke of the problems negotiating with Russian
clubs.
Zenit have accepted that Arshavin will leave - his preference
was a move to Spanish giants Barcelona - but Spurs did not lodge a
bid for him. Arshavin recently told Newsweek magazine: "My only
wish is to play with a stronger team. If Zenit agrees with Chelsea
or Arsenal, I will gladly join either of them."
Tottenham are in the market for a striker following the
departure of Robbie Keane to Liverpool, and with Dimitar Berbatov
making it clear he wants to leave White Hart Lane.
Sporting director Damien Comolli and chairman Daniel Levy are
working on a list of players, having already signed Luka Modric,
Giovani dos Santos, Heurelho Gomes, John Bostock and David
Bentley.
Spartak Moscow striker Pavlyuchenko is one of the players they
are monitoring but a move for him has not gathered pace yet.
Germany forward Lukas Podolski also claimed Spurs were interested
in him earlier in the summer.
Diego Milito's agent this week ruled out a switch to Tottenham
for the Real Zaragoza forward, while Real Madrid midfielder Ruben
De la Red looks set to remain at the Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido has criticised
Levy in the Spanish press, accusing him of "hypocrisy" for his
attack on Manchester United after Spurs recruited Ramos last
season.