Spurs could re-sign Steven Caulker from Cardiff City

Premier League top-four hopefuls Spurs (10/1 with Coral) are looking at bringing defender and England cap Steven Caulker, 22, back to White Hart Lane – less than a year after selling him to Cardiff City for £9m.

Head coach Tim Sherwood was unable to field any fit centre backs as Tottenham recently crashed out of the Europa League, though Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen returned for their last outing – a win over Southampton.

Both those players could be elsewhere next season, however. Kaboul is out of contract at Tottenham this summer and Belgium defender Vertonghen is a rumoured target of Barcelona.

Odds-on 8/11 favourites for the La Liga title, Barca want a centre half who is comfortable in possession to replace outgoing club captain Carles Puyol.

Should Spurs fail to secure a Champions League place, which looks more and more likely every week, Sherwood may face the sack. He is 8/1 to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post.

Vertonghen dropped a hint that he may quit north London if Tottenham cannot get into Europe’s elite club competition, so recapturing Caulker would soften such a blow.

Cardiff, under former Manchester United scoring favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, are joint odds-on favourites for Premier League relegation at 2/7.

The Bluebirds have kept just six clean sheets all season – only basement club Fulham and next opponents West Bromwich Albion have managed fewer.

Whether Tottenham inserted a buy-back clause in the contract they agreed with Cardiff when Caulker transferred to the Welsh capital last summer is unclear, but if the Bluebirds are relegated, his former club look to be first in line.

Although Caulker is part of a rear-guard that has conceded 58 league goals (the second-worst record in the top-flight), his potential remains massive. He earned a recent recall to the England squad for the March friendly with Denmark, and is 5/1 to be on Roy Hodgson’s final World Cup roster.