Spurs ready to offload and other transfer gossip

Tottenham are ready to offload four players in order to fund other purchases during the January transfer window. According to reports, Robbie Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko, David Bentley and Alan Hutton will all be sold as manager Harry Redknapp tries to lure players he believes will fire the club into the Champions League. One such player is Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Spurs are expected to make a concerted bid to bring the former Manchester United goal ace to White Hart Lane. Elsewhere, struggling Liverpool are set to abandon their long-standing interest in David Silva in favour of signing his Valencia team-mate Juan Manuel Mata; Manchester City are plotting a £6m move for Argentine left-back Cristian Ansaldi, who plays for Russian side Rubin Kazan; and Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has emerged as a January target for Arsenal.