Transfer Special: Chelsea Swoop As Tottenham Admit Pienaar Is Looking Blue

Steve Pienaar will sign for Chelsea today after Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admitted he can’t match the Blues’ £3m bid for the unsettled Everton midfielder.

Redknapp’s side drew 0-0 with Manchester United yesterday, but he took time out to explain that his efforts to team up Pienaar with Bafana Bafana teammate Bongani Khumalo at White Hart Lane have failed.

“We were interested in him, but I see Chelsea have offered £3 million. That would make it difficult for us to compete with that money for him," Redknapp said.

“He’s a player we like, but he belongs to Everton at the moment but I think they would sell him perhaps if we agreed a fee.”

Pienaar has just six months left on his current contract and could have moved for free in June.

He missed Everton’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Merseyside derby yesterday.

Redknapp added:  “I don’t know what will happen there. The chairman deals with it, I haven’t been involved in it at all."

“He’s a player we like but he belongs to Everton at the moment, but I think they would sell him perhaps if we agreed a fee."

“They agreed a fee with Chelsea apparently for £3 million then that’s probably a bit more than we want to go to.”

Explaining Pienaar’s absence yesterday, Everton boss David Moyes said: "We've given his representatives a chance to talk to Chelsea but they've not got permission to talk to Tottenham because they've not offered the same money."

"Steven came to see me yesterday and said he didn't feel he was in the right place to play...I felt it would be better not to use him if that was the case," Moyes said.

"He will be in training tomorrow because at the moment we don't have a deal. If Tottenham offer the same money, that may change or maybe he will agree terms with Chelsea," Moyes said.