Tottenham Hotspur have again been linked Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand with Harry Redknapp reportedly willing to splash out £6million to take him to White Hart Lane in the New Year.

'Arry is preparing to pounce after Black Cats boss Steve Bruce hinted earlier this week that he is ready to listen to offers for the unsettled former West Ham centre-half, according to The Sun.

The 24-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Stadium of Light and in the absence of Michael Turner for the weekend win over Arsenal was overlooked in favour of Paulo Da Silva and John Mensah respectively.

He hs struggled to settle in the North East and has made no secret of his desire to return to the capital, with Fulham also understood to be monitoring his situation.

However, a switch to Spurs would hold more appeal for Ferdinand given that they are flying high at present and look et to be challenging for a UEFA Champions League place come the end of the season.

The defender nearly made the move to White Hart Lane in August, but a swap involving Scotland international full-back Alan Hutton fell through, although there is a school of thought that the deal could be resurrected in January.

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