The Guardian says Villa have notified Tottenham of their interest in signing Defoe, with Martin O'Neill keen to add a prolific goalscorer to his threadbare but talented squad. The Villa manager has long admired the England striker, who was among his targets in the summer, and would have no problem meeting Tottenham's valuation - likely to be significantly above the £7m West Ham received in 2004.

The 25-year-old is seen as the predator in the penalty area that Villa are lacking - both Luke Moore and Marlon Harewood have failed to impress - although completing a deal for Defoe promises to be fraught with difficulties, not least because the forward is considering extending his contract at White Hart Lane.

Other obstacles include persuading Tottenham to sell and the not-so-small matter of convincing Defoe to swap London for the Midlands.