Spurs want Schalke striker Huntelaar to fix White Hart Lane woes

Tottenham (3/1 for a top four Premier League finish) are set to face the battle of the bargain bin in January, and may have to fend off competition from formerly frugal Arsenal and shopaholics Liverpool if they are to snap up the services of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The Schalke striker is supposedly a snip at around £3m, with the Bundesliga side keen to make some money from the evergreen Dutchman before his contract expires next summer.

Huntelaar, now 31, has been linked with a switch to the Premier League for the best part of a decade, but could now finally arrive on British shores, following in the footsteps of illustrious compatriots Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie.

Ex-Ajax star Huntelaar’s talents have already seen him turn out for European heavyweights AC Milan and Real Madrid, but it is during his five-season stint with Schalke that he has flourished into a truly prolific poacher.

Both the Gunners and Brendan Rodgers’ Reds have struggled after injuries to their main men up front, but Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be heading up the queue to take the dangerous Dutchman to White Hart Lane.

The Spurs boss has watched his side flounder this season and, for the wealth of attacking midfielders at his disposal, lacks a consistent forward threat to strike fear in opponents.

With 61 goals in 106 Bundesliga outings, Huntelaar, who recently popped up to net a Champions League equaliser for Schalke against Chelsea, could be a deadly alternative to Emmanuel Adebayor or Harry Kane.

Pochettino also has Roberto Soldado, 29, at his disposal, but the striker is apparently unsettled and could be on his way out of White Hart Lane this winter.

Tottenham forked out a reported £26m on the former Valencia forward in 2013, but have seen little return on their investment. Soldado has struggled to settle, scoring just six times in 29 Premier League appearances, and now both Spurs and the Spaniard may be set to cut their losses.

Castilla academy product Soldado still appears to have suitors, however, and Italian giants Inter Milan are rumoured to be interested in rescuing him from his Tottenham troubles.