Tottenham are planning a £45m move for Barcelona striker David Villa and FC Porto forward Jackson Martinez. The London Evening Standard believes the deal to bring Martinez to White Hart Lane is by way of an alternative to Brazil striker Leandro Damiao.

Discussions to bring the 23-year-old Internacional player to north London have rumbled on for the better part of a year and the 26-year-old Colombian international is Andre Villas-Boas' second-choice signing. Talks to bring Spain international Villa to the club are already underway and the Premier League side is confident a £10m deal will be announced soon.

Jackson Martinez
Reuters

Martinez will be an expensive buy though, with the Standard suggesting the Portuguese club values him at £33.4m. What will also not help AVB's cause is the fact his former club have transferred midfielders Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez to newly promoted Ligue 1 side AS Monaco. The BBC believes Porto have been paid £60m.

There is, therefore, no need to sell for financial reasons. And manager Vítor Pereira will want to avoid losing yet another star player.

Funding, however, could be a problem for Tottenham. Can Spurs afford £45m in transfer fees and the wages Villa and Martinez would command? And all this while retaining Welsh international Gareth Bale on a reported £170,000-a-week deal? It seems unlikely. And this will boost Real Madrid's chances of signing their long-time target, with the Mail Online suggesting a £65m deal will be offered to chairman Daniel Levy.

Hugo Lloris on His Debut Season

Meanwhile, Spurs' No 1, Hugo Lloris, spoke to the club's official website about his best moments in his first season at the club. The 26-year-old French international had to fight off competition from American Brad Friedel when he arrived last summer but is now undisputed first choice under AVB.

"There have been many great moments, but my favourite was the Christmas period, because it was a new thing for me. I'm not used to playing at Christmas, normally it is holiday time. It was special to have family at home, eat Christmas food but play and train every day, to play important games against Aston Villa and Sunderland before New Year's Eve," the former Olympique Lyon man explained.

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