Football: Spurs chase Brazilian: Marcio Santos is latest target for Ardiles

TOTTENHAM's trawl of the world for a summer signing yesterday entangled Marcio Santos, the Brazilian central defender, in a possible move to White Hart Lane.

Spurs are understood to have offered Bordeaux pounds 2m for the player, but Fiorentina are also in the chase. This latest foreign foray by Ossie Ardiles, the Tottenham manager, follows abortive attempts to lure Basile Boli and Gheorghe Hagi to London. The Frenchman preferred Glasgow and Rangers, while Hagi yesterday arrived in Barcelona to put the finishing touches to a two-year contract reputedly worth dollars 2m (pounds 1.3m). The Spanish champions have paid Brescia dollars 2.4m (pounds 1.5m) for the 29-year-old Romanian midfielder, whose attacking flair lit up the World Cup.

Tottenham also have designs on another USA '94 participant in Terry Phelan, the Manchester City and Republic of Ireland full-back. His manager, Brian Horton, yesterday confirmed that Ardiles had made inquires. 'Ossie rang me late last week to ask about Terry Phelan's situation and I told him he still has three years of his contract to run,' Horton said. 'However, if he makes a firm offer we will have to consider what action to take.'

Ardiles was less forthright about his activities. 'Until a player is signed, sealed and delivered to Tottenham Hotspur, I will have no comment to make,' he said.

Tomas Skuhravy, the Czech striker, is demanding more money to sign for Leeds for a club-record pounds 3m. 'It would be illogical if I signed for a club where I would have worse financial conditions than in Genoa,' he told a newspaper in Prague yesterday. Leeds, however, still expect the 28-year-old international to sign at Elland Road on Monday.