Duff on brink of £11m switch to Tottenham

Damien Duff, the Chelsea winger, will complete an £11m move to Tottenham Hotspur in the next 48 hours after completing a medical over the weekend, according to reports last night.

The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international is said to have been offered a four-year contract worth about £60,000 a week.

Duff, who signed for Chelsea from Blackburn Rovers for £17m in 2003, was one of the first signings sanctioned by Roman Abramovich, However, Duff has become a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge, and his cause was not helped by the arrivals of Andrei Shevchenko and Michael Ballack.

Spurs have already spent £22m this summer on Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, midfielder Didier Zokora and defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy's agent has confirmed the Manchester United striker is keen on a move to Real Madrid. The United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, announced on Friday that the Netherlands international had asked to leave Old Trafford, with Real and Bayern Munich leading the chase.

It appears the Spanish club have the upper hand, with the 30-year-old's representative, Roger Linse, saying: "We met with United to tell them Ruud thought that stage of his career was over. We know Madrid want him and the player is keen to play there. Madrid is a dream for any footballer."

The new Real manager, Fabio Capello, is certain Van Nistelrooy will be a success at the Bernabeu. Capello, who recently left Juventus to return to the Spanish capital, said: "He has scored a lot of goals and is a striker who can succeed [here]."

Wayne Rooney has insisted that his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho at the World Cup was not deliberate. "I'll go to my grave and still maintain it was a complete accident," the England forward said.

"When I fell I had my back to the player. I could not see him, or where I was putting my foot. If it had been a definite stamp, the fella would still be in hospital. But he was up on his feet in minutes. It was the sort of thing that happens when you are fighting for the ball."

Reports last night claimed Rooney's United team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo, is now likely to see out his four-year deal at Old Trafford after a heart-to-heart chat with his mother.