Fri Jul 25 15:09:45 2008

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Tottenham needs to offload players to add Arshavin

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London, England (Sports Network) - Tottenham Hotspur's attempts to sign Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersburg hinge on the north London club being able to offload players to fund the bid.

The 27-year-old, who impressed for his country at Euro 2008, had been linked with Barcelona and Arsenal earlier this summer, but now Spurs have emerged as favorites to land Arshavin.

"The price is very high, as are the personal terms," Arshavin's agent, Dennis Lachter, told The Daily Mirror. "Let us see what happens in the future. It may need English clubs to sell some players first."

"With Tottenham we have contacts," Zenit sporting director Konstantin Sarsaniya had earlier stated. "This English club is really interested in acquiring Andrei but, as I understand it [$42.3 million] is too high a price for them.

"For Spurs, it is unacceptable. Tottenham are ready to pay in the region of [$31.3 million] for Arshavin."

Spurs may soon be cash-rich if strike duo Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane leave the club, with the pair linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively.

Tottenham have also been linked with Arshavin's international colleague Roman Pavlyuchenko, who plays for Spartak Moscow.

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)