Holtby eyes Fulham move as Tottenham bid to bring Berbatov back in loan swap deal



Lewis Holtby appears to be pinning his hopes of a pre-deadline move on Fulham after Borussia Dortmund and Schalke both shied away from the financial implications of taking him back to the Bundesliga.

Dortmund, in desperate need of reinforcements after being rocked by a worsening injury crisis, and Schalke, who were reluctant to sell him to Tottenham in the first place, have both expressed an interest and enquired about signing him, either permanently or on loan.

They were given no encouragement over a temporary arrangement and quoted a fee of around £7million for a sale, which, allied to £75,000-a-week wages, proved too rich for both.

WATCH Scroll down to see a young Holtby freestyling while at Schalke



Keen to leave: Lewis Holtby could join Fulham after failing to hold down a place at Tottenham this season Moving on: Holtby (right) has been linked a return to Germany but looks set to remain in England

Fulham remain keen and hold a bargaining tool that could help secure a deal in Dimitar Berbatov, who could return to White Hart Lane and see out the final few months of his contract with Tottenham in a loan swop with industrious midfielder Holtby.

Holtby's agent Marcus Noack admitted he expects his client to leave Tottenham before the end of the transfer window.

'My feeling is that he will leave but it's not in our hands at the moment,' he said.

'Tottenham have to agree to let him go first. We hope to find a solution in the next couple of days.

'I think it will be a loan because it is difficult for anyone to buy Lewis.'

Return: Dimitar Berbatov (right) could make a shock move back to Tottenham in a swap deal with Holtby

Dortmund enquired about Holtby's availability earlier this month, but last year's Champions League finalists have since cooled their interest in the midfielder.

Schalke, where Holtby spent three and a half years before heading to England, are interested in re-signing the German international, but the Bundesliga club may have to sell players - like Arsenal target Julian Draxler - before they can bring any new faces in.

Former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder claimed on Twitter that he had seen Holtby in Dusseldorf - near to where Schalke and Dortmund are based - but Spurs insist the player is in London as he is in the squad for Wednesday's Premier League clash against Manchester City.

Sportsmail understands Holtby would prefer to stay in England, anyway.



Hero: Berbatov enjoyed a successful spell at White Hart Lane before joining Manchester United in 2008



