Van Nistelrooy in, Pavlyuchenko out!
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Ruud van Nistelrooy in, Roman Pavlyuchenko out! Spurs boss Harry Redknapp admits talks to sign Real Madrid striker
White van man: Spurs want Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy
Harry Redknapp has confirmed he is in talks to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy on loan from Real Madrid.
The Tottenham boss said the club would be keen to sign the 33-year-old striker as long as Roman Pavyluchenko can be sold in the January transfer window.
Redknapp's admission comes after Sportsmail exclusively revealed that Redknapp had met Van Nistelrooy's agent in a London restaurant on Monday night.
But if Russia international Pavlyuchenko does not leave White Hart Lane, Redknapp would not want to bring a fifth striker to the club.
Speaking about Van Nistelrooy, the Spurs boss said: 'It’s interesting but it depends what the deal is.
'The chairman (Daniel Levy) would deal with that side, but he's an interesting player.
'He was fantastic in England (with Manchester United), a great goal scorer. If he was available it could be of interest.'
Pavlyuchenko is keen to return to Russia after making just four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, but finding a buyer has not been straight forward.
Redknapp said: 'Pavlyuchenko is looking to move, but only if someone came in and if he decided to go, and it was a good offer. Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible.
'We couldn’t have five strikers. It's difficult enough with four. I find it hard leaving one out of picture. I'm certainly not looking for five strikers.'
Redknapp also denied making an offer for Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster and insisted he is looking for a No 2 goalkeeper to provide back up for Heurelho Gomes.
He said: 'I never made any offer whatsoever. I've no clue where it came from.
'Ben's a good keeper but I’m looking for back-up. Foster and David James (the Portsmouth goalkeeper) want to go to World Cup - not sit on bench as a No2.'
Night out: Van Nistelrooy (left) goes to see Alicia Keys in Madrid on Monday night