Hamburg must improve offer for Rafael van der Vaart say Tottenham
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Andre Villas-Boas has accused Hamburg of disrespecting Tottenham in their bid to sign Rafael van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart has been a revelation for Spurs since he signed from Real Madrid two years ago, but he has dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson and is open to the idea of returning to Hamburg, where he spent three years before moving to Real Madrid.
The Bundesliga club have vowed to do everything in their power to land Van der Vaart, whose wife Sylvie works in the German city, but their initial offer of around £8million falls way short of Tottenham's valuation.
The London club are reported to be holding out for £14million for the Holland forward, and Villas-Boas is adamant he will not let the player go on the cheap.
"We have had interest from Hamburg, but an offer of that dimension is not something the player deserves," Villas-Boas told a press conference.
"Tottenham should be respected as a club. (The transfer) doesn't seem to be happening."
Tottenham's customary late foray into the transfer market looks set to swing into action before tomorrow night's 11pm deadline, with Villas-Boas hoping to land Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
It appears there will be no last-minute dash for a striker, however, after Jermain Defoe committed his future to the club today by signing a new three-year contract.
Spurs have been strongly linked with Leandro Damiao and Loic Remy, but Villas-Boas will stick to his strikeforce of Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor and Harry Kane, rather than sanction a bid for another hitman despite erroneous reports the club have also bid for Fernando Llorente.
"There was massive speculation today (linking Spurs) with Remy but it is not the case," Villas-Boas said.
Villas-Boas signed Mousa Dembele from Fulham this week, but he could still sign another midfielder before the window shuts.
Moutinho would be a world-class addition to the ranks but he appears to be out of Tottenham's price range.
"Porto is an extremely difficult club to deal with. I don't think he is a player we can afford," Villas-Boas said.
A renewed attempt for Shakhtar Donetsk's Willian, who can operate in midfield or attack, is possible but once more Villas-Boas fears the club could be priced out of a deal for the player.
"We had initial contact with Shakhtar, (who) again (are) a club in a position with wealthy owners, (and are) not easy to deal with," Villas-Boas added.
"We can't say that it's over but we have approached the club and at the moment it's a deal that doesn't seem to be happening."
Villas-Boas confirmed his interest in signing Lyon goalkeeper Lloris, with whom the Londoners have been in contact regularly for the last week or so.
"We are very comfortable with our goalkeepers, (but) we can take into account that there is a future that we have to prepare for," said the Spurs boss, whose current first choice, Brad Friedel, is 41.
"In that sense we have studied possibilities in that position as well and throughout the goalkeepers available, Hugo is one of the best."
Villas-Boas' plans for the season were dealt a major blow today when Younes Kaboul was ruled out for between three and four months after undergoing knee surgery.
The France defender excelled for the Londoners last term and was seen as Villas-Boas' first-choice centre-back - a stance which seemingly left Michael Dawson with no future at Spurs.
The club captain held talks with QPR but decided against moving to the west London outfit, but they may rekindle their interest tomorrow.
Kaboul's injury may mean the England centre-back remains at White Hart Lane even though Villas-Boas confirmed he already knew Kaboul could be sidelined for some time when he told Dawson he was free to talk to QPR.
When asked whether he would consider a bid for Dawson, Villas-Boas replied: "I don't think so.
"We have known about this possibility (that Kaboul would be ruled out) for quite some time. It was even in the discussions I had with Michael.
"At the moment that leaves us with four (fit) central defenders, so we are happy with the situation as it stands.
"It is a massive blow to lose Younes."
PA
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