Long-term Spurs target Stewart Downing took a step closer to leaving Middlesbrough today after the club accepted a bid of £12 million from Aston Villa.
Various Tottenham managers, including Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp, have tried and failed to prise the England winger from Teeside over the past few years, though the prospect of paying big money for the functional if limited midfielder has never met with much enthusiasm from among the fans.
He looked set for a move to White Hart Lane in January but Steve Gibson, the Middlesbrough chairman, insisted he was not for sale. It remains to be seen whether Villa's bid for Downing leads Redknappy to make another attempt to sign the academy graduate.
It is thought Redknapp thinks the left-footed Downing will bring balance to a midfield shorn of left-sided options, but the inflated price may make him look at alternative targets.
Villa's move for Downing is a further example of what is becoming a familiar story this summer, with the club uncharacteristically reluctant to splash the cash on hasty signings.
In fact recent reports link us with a free transfer move for former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, who at 33, would provide a short term solution to the side's obvious lack of leadership. Whether Redknapp wants to risk the ire of fans by signing him is another matter.