Pleat denies Defoe bid

Tottenham and West Ham appeared to be at odds today over Jermain Defoe.

Spurs insisted they had not made a bid for the West Ham striker, but sources at the Upton Park club maintained there had been contact.

There was speculation at the weekend that Spurs had offered £5million plus Bobby Zamora for Defoe, but David Pleat denied this.

The Spurs acting manager said: "It is simply not true. We have not made a bid and there is nothing happening.

"We know what we want to do and we are not involved in that. West Ham showed a bit of interest in Zamora but nothing will happen on that front."

West Ham manager Alan Pardew rates Zamora highly, but Spurs would have to part with at least £7m plus the former Brighton striker if a deal is to be struck for Defoe.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have already been linked with Defoe and Arsenal are rumoured to be ready to make a firm bid in the summer.

With the possibility of playing for one of the big three next season, Defoe will need some persuading to join Spurs.