Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is understood to be close to concluding a deal for Internacional midfielder Sandro.
Spurs had a bid of around £14million rejected but they haven't given up and Levy has been in Brazil for several days in a bid to personally seal the move before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.
Manager Harry Redknapp is keen to sign another strong defensive player to line up alongside Wilson Palacios and Sandro is now their first choice after Toulouse demanded £25m for Moussa Sissoko.
Internacional are asking for as much as £26m but Spurs are still hopeful they can get him for around £16m.
The deal is complicated because 30 per cent of his rights are owned by investors and Sandro may struggle to get a work permit as he has not yet played for Brazil, although he was called into their World Cup squad this week. Spurs are pressing on with the deal and there is still a possibility Jermaine Jenas will be sold to Aston Villa to fund the move.
Standard Sport understands they have already rejected one offer from Martin O' Neill's side because it was too low, but they expect them to come back.
One player who appears to have a future at Spurs is David Bentley. Villa want the midfielder but Redknapp feels he can provide plenty of assists for Peter Crouch, like he did for the striker's goal in Wednesday's 5-1 win at Doncaster.
