Tottenham 'hopeful' Rafael van der Vaart will join from Real Madrid

The Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, tonight said he was "hopeful" that Rafael van der Vaart will join the club from Real Madrid. Redknapp moved late for the 27-year-old Dutch midfielder on deadline day, after being alerted to his availability at around 4pm, and Spurs were still waiting for confirmation from the Premier League that the transfer can go through. "It's still dragging on," Redknapp told Sky Sports News. "We have been trying to do something. We are just waiting for some clearance. "I think he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for £18m. He is available now for about £8m and we thought for that amount of money he is a top player. "I'm hopeful, it could happen, honestly I wouldn't like to say one way or the other. It was a last-minute job."