• Premier League

Hamburg give up on Spurs' Van der Vaart

ESPN staff
July 16, 2012
Rafael van der Vaart: No Hamburg move © PA Photos
Enlarge

Tottenham playmaker Rafael van der Vaart seems unlikely to return to his former club Hamburg as the Bundesliga outfit do not have the finances to secure a deal.

Van der Vaart had been heavily linked with a move to the Imtech Arena, with Hamburg coach Thomas Fink claiming the Dutchman would be "an ideal fit" for his team.

However, despite the growing desire from fans and club officials for the Netherlands international to return, any hope of a deal appears to be over.

Hamburg chairman Carl Edgar Jarchow told Bild: "We cannot finance a move for Rafael van der Vaart."

It is all change at Tottenham with Harry Redknapp's departure, but new manager Andre Villas-Boas has made it clear that he wants Van der Vaart to remain at the club.

"With Van der Vaart... at the moment, I am absolutely counting on him," Villas-Boas said.

Van der Vaart, who left Hamburg in 2008 and joined Real Madrid before moving to Spurs in 2010, has two years remaining on his contract at White Hart Lane.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close