Spurs close in on £18m move for Valencia striker Soldado after Baldini meets his agent in Spain to seal club-record deal

Tottenham are close to completing a club-record £18million transfer for Valencia striker Roberto Soldado.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas views the clinical Spain international as the candidate to end his long-term search for a truly quality goalscorer and recently-appointed technical director Franco Baldini has flown to Spain, where he was pictured in talks with Soldado's agent, in an attempt to finalise the move



Since Villas-Boas' appointment he has been forced to rely on the mercurial talents of Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe but the arrival of Soldado would allow him to commit to his favoured 4-3-3 system.

Star man: Spurs want to show their ambition by signing Roberto Soldado Pictured: Franco Baldini (right) in talks with Soldado's agent Gone for a ride: Baldini (foreground) with Soldado's agent (background)

An ambitious attempt to sign David Villa from Barcelona ended in disappointment when the decorated Spaniard chose to move to Atletico Madrid and several bids for Leandro Damiao have also been undermined by a failure to agree a suitable fee.

Following a promising season in which Spurs adjusted to the departures of Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart to secure their highest ever Premier League points tally, Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy are determined to show their ambition by securing the signings that would help them to dismiss interest in Gareth Bale and to finally break into the league's top four.

Their hopes of recruiting Christian Benteke from Aston Villa ended when the Belgian signed a new contract to stay at the club but in Soldado they would be buying a striker who is significantly more proven at a high level.

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Soldado progressed through Real Madrid's youth system before leaving for Getafe where his impressive form earned him a 2010 move to Valencia as Villa's replacement.

He has also been linked with Liverpool where Luis Suarez's future remains uncertain but Baldini's presence in Valencia makes Spurs the clear favourites for his signature.



Tottenham's transfer record remains the £17m they paid Blackburn Rovers for David Bentley in 2008 and Corinthians for Brazil midfielder Paulinho earlier this summer.



