Spurs stay silent over Carrick reports

Tottenham remained silent today over speculation that England midfielder Michael Carrick is set to join Manchester United for a fee in the region of £18m (€26.4m).

Spurs, who rejected a bid of £10m (€14.6m) from United earlier this summer, are reported to have accepted an increased offer for Carrick.

Carrick’s move to Old Trafford would land Spurs a handsome profit on a player they signed from West Ham for £2.75m (€4m) two years ago.

But it would be a major blow for Spurs coach Martin Jol who helped the 25-year-old force his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson’s World Cup squad for the finals in Germany this summer.

The Dutch coach had hoped that Carrick, who celebrates his 25th birthday today, would repay the club’s loyalty by staying at White Hart Lane but Spurs would not agree to the player’s wage demands – reported to be around £50,000 (€73,000)-a-week.

Carrick has two years left on his Tottenham deal but rejected a new contract offer in the wake of United’s interest.

Spurs already have a ready-made replacement for Carrick in the form of Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora.

Tottenham have already signed 22-year-old Benoit Assou-Ekotto from Lens and spent £10.9m (€16m) on Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov but missed out on Chelsea’s left-winger Damien Duff.