West Ham United's London neighbours Tottenham have made an audacious £6m bid for Jermain Defoe, according to tomorrow morning's Independent.
The newspaper reports in tomorrow morning's editions that West Ham's Premiership rivals have bid £6m for the services of the England under-21 striker, who has made it abundantly clear that his future lies away from Upton Park.But a bid in that region is likely to be laughed off by West Ham who value their young striker at a far higher price.
Spurs - famously known in recent seasons for 'nearly signing' several big-name stars - look set to add yet another name to their list of 'near misses', as the Hammers are unwilling to part with their most valuable asset for anything less than £10m - despite claims from the Independent that West Ham are likely to do business at Tottenham's bid price.
And Defoe - who has said privately that he will only sign for one of the Premiership's big clubs - is unlikely to be tempted by an offer to move to another club who are still fighting against the threat of a looming relegation battle, and whose form in recent seasons has anything but suggested they are likely to be in a position to offer Defoe regular European football in seasons to come.
Clearly the bid from Spurs is an attempt to 'test the water'. However, should they raise their bid by another £2m it is quite possible that the Hammers may come round to the idea of selling Defoe to their bitter rivals.
It certainly promises to be an interesting week ahead for Defoe; with just one week remaining in the current Premiership transfer window any club vying for his signature must move quickly.
Hammers Chairman Terry Brown is keen on selling Defoe, and recent comments from manager Alan Pardew - who originally made it quite clear that he wanted to keep the young striker - suggest that now he too is willing to cash in on Defoe before the summer, when he enters the final 12 months of his current contract.
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