Tottenham turn to Petrov to bolster left side

The Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov will be Tottenham's priority signing this summer, with the club confident that they are very close to sealing a deal for the left-sided midfielder. The 28-year-old is an international team-mate of the striker Dimitar Berbatov and is highly recommended by his compatriot.

Tottenham tried to sign Petrov last summer but could not agree a fee and eventually signed Steed Malbranque to cover the left side. Because of his age they are eager not to play more than £8m for Petrov, who is at Atletico Madrid and has struck up a profitable relationship with Berbatov for Bulgaria. He is understood to have two years left on his current deal in Spain.

Petrov has 64 international caps for Bulgaria and fits the bill for the kind of player Tottenham were looking for when they were beaten to the signing of the Portuguese winger Nani by Manchester United. It is part of a squad-strengthening process that could also take in the signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips although Chelsea are reluctant to sell to their London rivals.

While Tottenham would like Wright-Phillips they are concerned about the potential effect that signing him could have on Aaron Lennon, who was picked ahead of the Chelsea man for last summer's World Cup final squad. However, they acknowledge that they need cover on the right wing after Lennon missed periods of last season with a knee injury.

Another unresolved issue at Tottenham is the future of Jermain Defoe, who has only two years left on his contract and whom the club would like to agree to a deal or move now. Defoe has been further pushed down the pecking order by the signing of Darren Bent for £16.5m and is the subject of what is thought to be a sizeable bid from West Ham.

West Ham missed out on Bent despite bidding more than Tottenham. Although they have since signed Craig Bellamy they are prepared to go considerably higher to secure the services of Defoe who they sold to Tottenham in 2004 in a £7m deal that included Bobby Zamora moving in the opposite direction. The sticking point is that Defoe, 24, is reluctant to return to his former club. The striker has a less than cordial relationship with West Ham's fans after he put in a transfer request within days of their relegation from the Premiership in 2003.

A breakthrough is expected in the saga of Carlos Tevez's proposed transfer to Manchester United. The Argentina striker will have a medical at Old Trafford tomorrow but negotiations were continuing yesterday between the various lawyers to try to finalise a deal that will be acceptable to the Premier League.

The United chief executive, David Gill, claimed the £35m deal had become "over-complicated" because of the involvement of four different parties. "We are working on it," Gill said after arriving in Tokyo for the club's pre-season tour. "Effectively, we are trying to work with four parties - the player, West Ham, the company who own Carlos' economic rights and the Premier League in order to sort it out." United's lawyer, Maurice Watkins, has remained in England to continue the negotiations.

West Ham accept that the 23-year-old is unlikely to be their player for much longer but know that they have to appease the Premier League if the transfer is to go ahead. At the same time United must be careful not to breach rules that could land them with a "tapping-up" charge. "There is a desire to find a solution," a West Ham spokesman said.

Tevez's arrival at United could coincide with the departure from Old Trafford of his Argentina teammate Gabriel Heinze. "Gaby's agent has advised us that he wants to move on," the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, said. "I am not too sure about that and we do not have a concrete offer from any particular club."

West Ham, meanwhile, are close to selling Marlon Harewood to Aston Villa for £3.7m. The fee has been agreed between the two clubs and the striker was at Villa's training ground yesterday to discuss the move.