Leandro Damiao could finally be on his way to White Hart Lane, with Tottenham set to make an official bid of £15 million ($24 million) for the much-wanted Brazilian.
Damiao has been linked with a move to Spurs for the last couple of years now, and the English Premier League club could at long last land their man, with negotiations over a move set to begin soon with Internacional, according to goal.com.
The fact that it is the Brazilian offseason at the moment has played a huge part in Spurs being given encouragement to make a bid for one of the most sought-after strikers in South America.
Andre Villas-Boas recently admitted he would always keep his options open over a move for Damiao, and now it looks like Daniel Levy has given the go-ahead as Tottenham look to strengthen further in a bid to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Spurs have already brought in former Manchester United defender Zeki Fryers from Standard Liege, amid much controversy, while Lewis Holtby will move to White Hart Lane in the summer when his contract with Schalke comes to an end, although a January move has not been completely ruled out.
If Spurs were to seal the signing of Damiao, who was the leading scorer in the Summer Olympics in London, it would considerably strengthen their forward line, which already consists of Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. The latter is set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations this week, meaning Tottenham will be severely short in the forward department.
"While Leandro Damiao stays at Internacional, Tottenham will always be interested," the player's agent Vinicius Prates said.
"Andre Villas-Boas has liked him since he was Chelsea's manager."
Tottenham have a partnership with Internacional, struck when Sandro moved from the Brazilian club in 2010. The main factor holding up the move in the past was that Internacional were simply not prepared to sell their player.
It is understood the Brazilian club have now softened their stance and are ready to listen to offers, although it is not clear whether Damiao will be open to a move, having previously stated several times his preference to stay in Brazil until the end of the 2014 World Cup.
Tottenham are also tracking Willian of Shakhtar Donetsk and Joao Moutinho of Porto, with the latter almost joining the club in the summer. Villas-Boas remains interested in the Portuguese international and could be ready to make a move for the playmaker in the next couple of weeks.
