Van der Vaart returns to Hamburg

Hamburg have completed the signing of Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.

The Netherlands international has returned for a second spell with the Bundesliga club, where he previously played between 2005 and 2008 before moving to Real Madrid.

Van der Vaart went on to join Tottenham in 2010 and has played in both of their Premier League matches this season despite repeated speculation linking him with the German club.

While in the United States on Spurs’ pre-season tour, the 29-year-old insisted that he planned to stay at White Hart Lane but a move was revived as the transfer window drew to a close.

Earlier on Friday, Van der Vaart’s representative, Roberto Geerlings, confirmed that his client was on his way to Hamburg to undergo a medical.

Geerlings did state that at that point, a fee had not been agreed between the two clubs, but added that it was ‘clear that the two parties intend to find a solution’.

Van der Vaart made 63 top flight appearances for Spurs during his time in London, scoring 24 goals in the process.