Spurs face fight for £34m striker target

Tottenham are set to miss out on their primary January transfer target Leandro Damiao, who is heading to Ukraine in a £34million deal according to the London Metro.

The 22-year-old Brazilian striker has commanded plenty of interest from a host of clubs across Europe over the past few months, but Internacional have so far refused to sell their star man.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was believed to be considering a £15million bid in an attempt to bring Damiao to White Hart Lane, but that offer now looks to have been blown out the water after club president Giovanni Luigi revealed he has a £34m offer on the table from Eastern Europe.

"I have an offer of €40m from a team in the Ukrainian league," he confirmed. "I cannot say [who it is]. It is a delicate moment.

AC Milan are another side to have been credited with an interest in Damiao, as they seek cover at the San Siro after Antonio Cassano was ruled out for six months with a heart condition.

"If Milan offered €40m we could talk about it, but there has been no contact," Luigi continued. "The only team that has shown real interest is from Ukraine."

If Tottenham are serious about signing Damiao, then they will be forced to more than double their tentative offer, for a player that is in fine goalscoring form, having netted 13 goals in 22 league games this season.