Spurs Jump the Gun as “Defoe’s Contract Has Not Yet Been Signed”

, reporting “Pompey officials were stunned when Spurs went ahead with the ostentatious entrance just minutes before the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Championship side Burnley. The two clubs have yet to reach an agreement over the size of the transfer fee and negotiations will continue today. Defoe’s contract has not yet been signed and the Barclays Premier League have not received the appropriate documentation.”

In other Tottenham news, the Mirror link Spurs with a £4.5m bid for Lyon striker Fred, while in a separate article it is said that Tal Ben Haim wants to move to White Hart Lane.

Amy Lawrence grapples with the rumours linking Jermaine Pennant with AC Milan. “How can it be right that a player who specialises in disappointing top-grade employers in England supposedly rejected the advances of Real Madrid and is now set to join Milan? If it were true, you would have to wonder if an exotic virus which football scouts are particularly susceptible to had spread from the Spanish capital to northern Italy.”

In other transfer news, Simon Williams reports that Rangers are prepared to sell Barry Ferguson to Newcastle for £3m, while Rob Stewart claims the Toon could be set to sell Joey Barton to Portsmouth.

The exodus from Upton Park appears to be underway with Jeremy Wilson claiming “[Lee] Bowyer [is] holding talks with Birmingham to join on a nominal fee, while fees of £4 million from Stoke for Etherington and £3 million from Bolton for Davenport have also been agreed.” In a separate report, Michael Walker added that Luis Boa Morte is set to join Hull for £2m.

And the transfer speculation continues. Jon Ley links Spurs with Polonia Warsaw keeper Sebastian Przyrowski, the Daily Mail claim Everton and Middlesbrough are both chasing Newcastle’s Alan Smith although Shaun Custis announced that “Newcastle agreed to swap [Alan Smith] for Middlesbrough striker Mido.” Colin Young suggests the El-Hadji Diouf’s misery at the Stadium of Light could finally be ending with a £2m move to Blackburn.

Chelsea’s financial belt-tightening continues to be the order of the day, as Matt Hughes reports on Michael Ballack’s new contract negoatitions in which it is thought the German will received a “much lower basic salary, but with large bonuses based on the 32-year-old’s number of appearances, goals and the performance of the team.”

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