Tottenham have jumped ahead of rivals Arsenal in the race for Blackburn Rovers’ Christopher Samba.

The Gunners were reportedly close to securing the signature of the giant Congolese centre-back in recent weeks.

However, Spurs have since stolen a march in the race for Samba after manager Harry Redknapp admitted he is keen to bolster his defence.

The only deterrence may be the £12m asking price. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels the figure is too high for the 27-year-old and reports suggest he is unwilling to go higher than £8m.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy hasn’t been put off the £12m fee and feels an offer of cash plus one or two fringe players may be enough to persuade Blackburn to sell their captain.

Spurs have been linked with moves for Ryan Shawcross, Gary Cahill and Serdar Tasci as they look to strengthen before the new campaign.