Spurs offer Robinson to ease Downing deal

Tottenham Hotspur's attempts to sign Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing are understood to have included the offer of the England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as part of a deal that should take Downing to White Hart Lane shortly.

It is a sign of Robinson's diminishing stock with the new Spurs manager, Juande Ramos. Boro are thinking over Tottenham's £8m offer for Downing and, having previously wanted more, may reject it. They are said to be uninterested in Robinson.

Downing has told friends that he expects the transfer to be completed in the coming days and that he feels he has played his last game for his hometown club.

The Downing money is already being put aside to spend on Heerenveen's striker Afonso Alves, who was pictured at the Riverside on Sunday being shown around by the club's manager, Gareth Southgate, and on Lyons' Brazilian forward Fred.

Recruiting both would cost Boro in the region of £16m, which is why they are holding out for more from Spurs for Downing.