Spurs bound: Tottenham are hopeful of bagging Lewis Holtby (Picture: Getty)

Tottenham are close to signing Schalke’s promising Germany international Lewis Holtby on a pre-contract deal.

The 22-year-old midfielder has insisted he will not sign a new deal with the Bundesliga outfit when his current terms expire in the summer.

Arsenal and Liverpool are among the English clubs monitoring developments but sources in Germany have suggested Spurs are poised to pounce.

Holtby is already on the fringes of the German national team and is regarded as the one who got away by the Football Association after being overlooked as a teenager.


His father is English and his mother German but he opted to play for the country where he was born and has won three caps.

He has turned down a new wage structure of around £50,000-a-week and is said to be keen to move to the Premier League with upwardly mobile Tottenham eager to strengthen their chances of finishing in the top four and return to the Champions League next season.