Spurs will step up their bid to replace Emmanuel Adebayor with fresh £15m move for Leandro Damiao
Emmanuel Adebayor could leave Tottenham in the summer if the club manage to bring in another forward this month.
Adebayor’s apparent decision to represent Togo at the Africa Cup of Nations, despite originally indicating he would not play in the tournament, has left Spurs short of strikers and they are now likely to renew their interest in long-term target Leandro Damiao.
Tottenham are thought to be preparing a £15million offer for Internacional forward but the deal is a complicated one to complete.
Third-party ownership is common in Brazilian football and there are thought to be other investors, outside Internacional, with a stake in Damiao’s contract.
Spurs flew to Porto Alegre, where Damiao’s club are based, last August to try to conclude the transfer but they must reach an agreement with all the interested parties before they can hope to bring Damiao to London. In the past, this has proved beyond them.
Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas is a huge admirer of Damiao and Adebayor’s departure to South Africa on international duty has made the need to strengthen more urgent.
Without Adebayor, Jermain Defoe is the club’s only senior striker as they attempt to solidify their place in the top four and push on in the FA Cup and Europa League.
Should Damiao or another forward arrive, either in this window or the next, it is understood the club would be open to offers for Adebayor. While it is highly unlikely that he would depart in the current transfer window, the situation would be different in the summer.
Adebayor has scored only three goals in a stop-start campaign and has yet to recapture the excellent form he displayed while on loan last season. If Villas-Boas is given the elite striker he covets, Adebayor could find himself third choice — a situation ideal neither for him nor the club.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are seeking to move on some of their fringe players during the transfer window, with midfielder Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone close to making an exit.
Livermore is wanted by Queens Park Rangers, with a loan deal more likely than a permanent move, while Fulham have shown an interest in Huddlestone, who worked under their manager Martin Jol at Tottenham.
Huddlestone, 26, joined Spurs from Derby in 2005 for £2.5m and has won four England caps.
