Tottenham hope to close a deal for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo before Monday.

The Daily Mail says the north London club have been in talks with the Spanish giants about a number of players since the end of the season and appear to be on the verge of agreeing a deal for the 23-year-old Spaniard.

Tottenham gave up on a bid for former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy last month amid doubts over his knee injury plus high wage demands.

They moved on to talks to sign striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, former Chelsea forward Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze.

But the move for Negredo indicates they are losing to Stuttgart in their pursuit of Holland striker Huntelaar.