Berbatov Desperate to Leave Spurs, Claims Agent

Dimitar Berbatov may have looked happier on the pitch in recent weeks, but he is still desperate to leave White Hart Lane for a club that matches his "class and ambition", according to his agent.

"I have already spoken to the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, and told him that if a club that corresponds to Dimitar's class and ambition comes in with an offer that suits his current club in January, he would like to be allowed to go," his agent Emil Dantchev confirmed today.

"Dimitar is OK at Tottenham. I would not say he is happy but his performances for the club are a testament to his commitment to the fans and his team-mates. He has never stopped trying and scoring goals to help the team. Fans must understand Dimitar is 27 next month and time is running out for him to play for a club that can match his ambition."

Those comments in the Sun were greeted with heard-it-all-before shrugs by insiders at White Hart Lane. They insist that Berbatov, who has a contract at Spurs until 2010 with the option of two further years, is highly unlikely to be granted his wish until the summer at the earliest - unless the club can find an as-for-like replacement in the January transfer window.

Such a scenario looks particularly unlikely after Levy issued a statement yesterday saying that January "is the worst time to buy quality players" and that the club would not being conducting "business that is not essential".

"Juande, Damien [Comolli] and I have reviewed the squad and Juande feels that we are not looking at any major changes," he said. "We are all clear that the January window is the worst time to buy quality players so we shall not be doing any business that is not essential. Once again for the record, we are not a selling club, rather we are building for the future. When we have players on long contracts we have no need to entertain offers."