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Tottenham's last-ditch bid to sign Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid was nearly dead in the water just five minutes before the transfer window deadline, Goal.com UK can reveal.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is confident that the Dutch international will be joining the club in an £8 million switch even though they are waiting on clearance before officially announcing his arrival.
But Goal.com UK understands that Spurs and Real Madrid had intially agreed that the 27-year-old would move to White Hart Lane on a season-long loan.
The Spanish giants then pulled the plug on the deal at 5.55pm and told the Londoners that the deal was dead.
However, chairman Daniel Levy made an improved offer to take the playmaker to Spurs, which was then accepted by Madrid. It now requires ratification from the Premier League, with a Spurs source telling Goal.com UK that they are hopeful it will be rubber-stamped tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Fulham enquired about taking David Bentley to Craven Cottage on a season-long loan but the two clubs could not come to agreement over terms.
Redknapp, who said he was contacted by Levy about Van der Vaart’s availability at 4pm, admits the agreement was rushed through with the 6pm deadline fast approaching and he is uncertain as to whether everything was completed in time.
"It's still dragging on. We are just waiting to see whether it's all gone through," Redknapp said to Sky Sports News.
"We are waiting for clearance. The chairman is dealing with it and Darren Eales, the secretary, there is nothing more I can do now."
Redknapp revealed he turned his attention to Van der Vaart, who took part in this summer's World Cup final, once it became apparent that Real Madrid were prepared to part with him in a cut-price deal.
"I think he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for about £18m, but suddenly it became an awful lot cheaper," added the Spurs boss.
"He is available now for about £8m. He is a quality player. He is a Dutch international and a great footballer.
"For that sort of money, he is a top player and he will improve us for sure. We have made the effort, whether we can pull it off or not we will have to see.
"I am hopeful. It could happen. It was a last-minute job. When I came in this morning it certainly wasn't something I was looking to do."
On the attributes Van der Vaart would bring to Tottenham, Redknapp said: "He is a great passer of the ball, he is a top footballer. He will join in here and play the way we like to play, he would be a big plus for us.
"He looked like he was going for £18m but then the fee came crashing down because the deadline got close. If the chairman can pull it off, I think he will have got a real bargain."
Redknapp also admitted that Tottenham had made a late bid to sign Ryan Babel from Liverpool, as exclusively revealed by Goal.com UK.
He said: "We were interested in Ryan Babel. He has got pace, he is lighting quick and he was a player we made an enquiry for, but we never got that close."
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