Van Der Vaart- Vertonghen deal close

Spurs midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart reckons his club are leading the race to sign Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer.

The Belgian has been continuously linked with a move to the Premier League and, according to his agent, Spurs have already made an approach, which in turn has been denied by their manager Harry Redknapp. However, Redknapp did confirm his interest in the 25-year-old, who has a year to run on his Ajax deal but is expected to depart Amsterdam in the summer. Vertonghen has made no secret of his admiration for both Tottenham and North London rivals Arsenal, while Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool have also been linked with the centre-back. Former Ajax player Van Der Vaart though reckons Spurs are front-runners for the £8million rated centre-half. "Spurs asked me about him. If he's sensible, he will opt to join us," said he 29-year-old midfielder. "I hope Jan comes to Tottenham, as far as I know the deal is close to being done."