Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has urged the club to dig deep and sign Giuseppe Rossi.

Redknapp confirmed his interest in the Italian striker while admitting he came close to signing him last summer before re-newing his interest in January.

The 24-year-old looked all but set to join to Barcelona only to see a move fall through.

Spurs, however, will face competition for his signature from Athletico Madrid who see Rossi as the ideal replacement for the outgoing Sergio Aguero.

“Rossi’s top drawer,” he told Sky Sports News.

“He’s a clever player.

“He gets it into feet, he holds the ball up, he scores goals, and he’s the Italy centre-forward now.

“We tried to get him last year and I think the fee was £18million. That looks cheap now but he was a player we nearly had last year.”

However, it could cost a hefty amount to bring Rossi to White Hart Lane but Redknapp is hoping chairman Daniel Levy will sanction a move for the Italian.

“That’s up to the club and Daniel and everybody. But if you’re going to buy top players they cost top money – they’re not going to be cheap,” he added.

“They cost top wages, they cost big transfer fees – you need miracles if they’re going to picking up people for bargains, and they become worth mega money.

“It’s difficult to do that because everybody’s looking for top strikers. They are at a premium, they’re difficult to find.”