Redknapp declares Crouch interest

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur’s boss Harry Redknapp has declared his interest for former Liverpool and Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch.

The England striker, who is expected to leave Portsmouth this summer, has been linked with Sunderland, and Fulham.

But it now seems Redknapp could bid for the £12million-rated hitman, after Crouch held talks with Sunderland boss Steve Bruce over a possible switch to Wearside.

The former Pompey boss sold Crouch in the early days of first stint on the south coast, before signing him while at the helm of local rivals Southampton and then bringing him back to Fratton Park from Liverpool in a £9million deal last summer.

“I like Peter. I’ve signed him several times and he’s a top player,” Redknapp told Sky Sports News.

“He’s a player that we could be interested in, but we’ll have to wait and see.

“Portsmouth obviously want to sell him now, they’ve accepted offers for him, so if they want to sell him, we’d be interested.”

And Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, who played alongside Crouch for Portsmouth, would welcome the opportunity to renew their partnership.

He said, “I spoke to ‘Crouchy’ over the summer, while we were on England duty. I’ve played with him for several years, at Under-21 and now senior level.

“It’s down to Crouchy, obviously he’s going to go where he’s going to play.

“If he wants to come here it’s only going to help the team.”