Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp knows it will take some effort to land Everton captain Phil Neville.
Neville, who turns 34 next week, has 18 months left on his current four-year deal and Tottenham believe the lure of a shot at the Barclays Premier League title, plus the offer of Champions League football, will be impossible to turn down.
Preliminary discussions have taken place at boardroom level between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and his Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright.
Everton boss David Moyes insists Neville is not for sale, but Redknapp says: "We played them twice recently and Phil is a real leader for them but I'm sure David wouldn't want to lose him, so it will be a difficult one."