Tottenham's Pursuit of Moreno Clouded By Berbatov Uncertainty

The Brazilian club Cruzeiro are braced for an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for their Bolivia striker Marcelo Moreno, although the Spurs assistant manager, Gus Poyet, admitted last night that the club's summer spending plans depend on whether Dimitar Berbatov remains at White Hart Lane.

Moreno has also attracted the attention of Shakhtar Donetsk and the Cruzeiro president, Alvimar Perrella, said an inquiry was lodged by Tottenham only to be rebuffed. "The proposal was well short of what we expected," said Perrella, whose club only partly own the player, with a third party having a proportion of his playing rights. "Of course they should return to make a new offer but, until now, they haven't."

The complicated ownership issue may prove a stumbling block in any potential deal given the furore which erupted over the ownership of, among others, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano when they joined West Ham last year. Tottenham are monitoring the availability of a number of strikers including Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona, Valencia's David Villa and Diego Milito of Real Zaragoza.

Their clout in the market may well depend on what can be raised through Berbatov's sale with Barça among the clubs coveting the Bulgaria international. "Hand on heart, I don't know what is going to happen with Berba," said Poyet. "People have to understand that we want Berba at the club and, if he stays, it will be phenomenal. But if he goes, we will need a replacement. We will have to wait. At the moment there have been no offers."