Spurs tipped to sign Willian

Tottenham are closing in on a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Willian but their move for Leandro Damiao is going nowhere fast.

The north Londoners are locked in talks with Shakhtar in a bid to thrash out an agreement for Willian, who the Ukraine side value at around £20m. Spurs are understood to have already had an £11.8m offer turned down for the Brazilian, but a compromise somewhere in the middle seems likely before Friday's transfer window closes. Willian is determined to force a move away from the Donbass Arena last week and was left out of Shakhtar's squad that defeated Karpaty on Sunday. The 24-year-old's absence from the 3-0 victory was explained after the game by the club's chairman Mircea Lucescu, who seems resigned to his departure. He said: "Does anyone of you believe that in his current situation his head produces thoughts in the direction of right thinking?" "I wouldn't like him to play and suffer an injury, but this could happen. He will have some rest, and then we will see what to do with him. "We have a week before the transfer window closes, during which, perhaps, everything will be solved." Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is pulling out all the stops to support new manager Andre Villas-Boas in the transfer market, by reinvesting the £33m they are getting from Real Madrid for Luka Modric. However, Tottenham's pursuit of Internacional forward Damiao may be one bridge too far, as the two clubs are struggling to agree a fee for the 23-year-old who top scored for Brazil at the Olympics. His Brazilian team reportedly rejected an offer in the region of £18m for the striker last week and have spoken of their desire to keep him until at least the end of their domestic season in December.