Spartak's Pavlyuchenko set to join TottenhamThe 26-year-old Pavlyuchenko has been linked with Spurs since scoring three goals in Russia's surprise run to the European Championship semifinals in June. Pavlyuchenko said : "I can confirm that I am joining Spurs. Right now I am getting my visa. As soon as it is ready I will fly to London to sign a contract." A move looked imminent after he withdrew from Spartak's Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday. According to media reports, Pavlyuchenko returned to Moscow from Kiev on Tuesday for talks with Tottenham officials. "Tottenham has already made a formal proposal," Spartak chairman Valery Karpin was quoted as saying by Sovetsky Sport. "They have made us a firm offer and we are happy with it. "As long as Roman agrees to sign a deal with the club, we are prepared to let him go. Footballers don't get chances like this all the time, maybe only once in a lifetime. If Roman goes to England, it will good for Tottenham and for himself." Reports suggest the player will cost about 12 million pounds ($22 million; euro15 million), far less than Zenit St. Petersburg were asking Tottenham to pay for Pavlyuchenko's Russia teammate Andrei Arshavin. Pavlyuchenko confirmed: "I will not play in Kiev. Everything has happened very quickly so I could not even say goodbye to my team-mates." Pavlyuchenko told Sovetsky Sport that money was not the motivating factor in his desire to leave. "That is not the reason for the move," he told the paper. "The only thing that has kept me from moving is my family. It was difficult for me to imagine how my wife and daughter could move from a place they are used to. I was also embarrassed that I could not speak English. "But my doubts are all behind me now. I have decided I will sign with Tottenham." Spartak signed Pavlyuchenko from Volgograd in 2003 and he has scored 75 goals in 145 appearances for the nine-time Russian champions. He has been on target nine times in his 22 outings for the national team. South Korea defender Lee Young-Pyo left Spurs for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Lee played 93 times for the Premier League side following his move from PSV Eindhoven in August 2005 but fell out of favor at White Hart Lane after the arrival of Spanish manager Juande Ramos last season. The 31-year-old, capped 97 times by South Korea, agreed a one-year contract with Dortmund, who needed a new left-back after Dede was ruled out for six months with knee ligamant damage. A statement on Tottenham's Web site confirmed Lee's departure: "We wish him well for the future." 本文章被浏览:48
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