Harry Redknapp has confirmed his desire to bring Joe Cole to White Hart Lane this summer. Cole is a free agent after his contract with Chelsea expired and Redknapp is eager to be reunited with a player he worked with at West Ham United.

"I signed Joe as an 11-year-old at West Ham. I think he is an outstanding player, a great professional and a top player," said the Spurs manager. "I would love to have Joe at Tottenham, but there are lots of clubs in for him. We will have to wait and see, we are not close to doing anything with Joe really."

Jermain Defoe is also keen to work with Cole again, having been impressed by the 28-year-old as the pair trained together with England at the World Cup.

"When we were in South Africa [you could see] every day his passion and his drive to want to improve," the striker said. "In training he was sharp and he was strong, he just loves football. So if we could get someone like that at the club it would be good for everyone."

Spurs have been linked with several players following their fourth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, which means they will enter the qualifying rounds for the Champions League.

The Uruguay striker Diego Forlán is another reported target but Redknapp is not hopeful of signing the player from Atlético Madrid.

"He [Forlán] is a player I would like but he may be out of our range," he said. "He has had an outstanding World Cup, there aren't too many players who did better than Forlán at the World Cup, he is a top player."