Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric’s future was still uncertain as the end of the current transfer window loomed on Wednesday.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp continued to insist the Croatia international would not be travelling across London to Chelsea who, unlike Tottenham, are in this season’s Champions League and have long wanted to sign Modric.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has made much of wanting to uphold Modric’s contract and whether the player is still at White Hart Lane by the time the window closed at 11:00pm local time (2200GMT) Wednesday will be viewed by many observers as a test of whether deals with top players are indeed worth the paper they are written on.
Redknapp said he expected Levy to be “busy on the phone all day” as Spurs looked to complete the signing of England midfielder Scott Parker from West Ham, relegated from the lucrative Premier League last season.
But among the players leaving White Hart Lane could be Peter Crouch, with newly promoted QPR, who’ve already made several transfer window signings, as well as Sunderland interested in signing the tall England striker.
“There’s three or four clubs wanting him and he wants to play football,” Redknapp told Sky Sports News.
“He’s too good not to play. He’s an outstanding player.”
Elsewhere in north London, Arsenal – thrashed 8-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday – were reportedly closing in on signing defensive duo Per Mertesacker and Andrew Santos, having already added South Korea striker Park Chu-young to their squad.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has also been linked with moves for Everton midfield duo Marouane Fellaini and Mikel Arteta along with Lille’s Edin Hazard.
French club Lille could be where Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole ends up on loan although Sky reported Premier League Aston Villa were interested in signing the England player.
Manchester City meanwhile could revive the injury-ravaged career of former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, now a free agent after his release by local rivals Manchester United.
Big-spenders City may also recup some money by offloading midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips to QPR, now backed by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, and full-back Nedum Onuoha, a target for both Bolton and Stoke.
