Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar tempted by big-money move

Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar admits he could be tempted by a big-money move to Russia or Ukraine.

A series of injuries and the excellent form of Gareth Bale meant Kranjcar started just nine Barclays Premier League games last season.

The Croatian, who joined Spurs in 2009, has been linked with a move to Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev and he concedes that could be an attractive option, providing he receives a handsome wage.

"In Russia and Ukraine playing football you can earn huge money," Kranjcar told Croatian website Index.

"Whether we admit it or not, money is important."

Russia has become a popular destination for players looking for a big payday recently, with teams like Anzhi Makhachkala willing to offer eye-watering wages, reportedly up to £15million a year.

Clubs like Zenit St Petersburg, Rubin Kazan and CSKA Moscow have shown Russian teams are no pushovers in European competition in recent years and Kranjcar is a big fan of how eastern European teams have developed.

"Football in the east has progressed," the 27-year-old said.

"The teams are always high up in the Champions League or are in the Europa League final. It's not like it was 10 years ago."

Tottenham's activity in the transfer market is likely to have a big impact on their success next season.

Luka Modric and Gareth Bale have been linked with moves away from White Hart Lane, but Daniel Levy insists they will stay.

The Spurs chairman is also keen to tie up a permanent deal for Emmanuel Adebayor and add at least two more signings, with Marseille forward Loic Remy and Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen thought to be high on the club's list of targets.

The north London club are also set for a clear-out of fringe players, chief among them Mexican misfit Giovani Dos Santos.

Spurs had big hopes for Dos Santos when he arrived from Barcelona, but the forward has not started a league game since August 2008 and now faces yet more uncertainty over his future after a proposed move to Spanish side Villarreal fell through following their relegation from the Primera Division.

"We were very advanced in terms of agreeing for Giovani to play for Villarreal, but that has all collapsed now because they have been relegated," Dos Santos' lawyer and representative Vicente Montes was quoted as saying on the website of Mexican Radio station Grupo Formula.

"Villarreal being relegated has affected everything - the transfer, the wages. It would have been different had they stayed in the Primera Division."

PA