Word reaches the Cutter that Tottenham are looking to revive their long-running interest in Villarreal hit man Giuseppe Rossi but are hoping to secure a complicated season long loan deal that is unlikely to be agreed upon without further negotiation.

The Spanish club, nicknamed the Yellow Submarine, sunk last season from Primera Liga and now face the urgent need to offload their highest earners in an attempt to ward off serious financial plight. Unfortunately their most valuable asset, the dazzling 25 year old who has proven to be such a revelation in Spain, remains sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury on a blighted right knee that has placed his promising career in jeopardy. After battling back from the initial tear that ruled Rossi out for six months he cruelly suffered a lengthy set-back in training last April that was expected to keep him on the rehabilitation trail until the start of next year.

However, according to a source the ex-Manchester United front man’s recovery is going far better than hoped and is tentatively seeking a return to action as early as September.

Spurs are closely monitoring the progress of a player who was seriously courted by Barcelona last summer until they opted for Sanchez and Fabregas instead blowing their budget in the process. They believe that such is Rossi’s talent – in an explosive 2010/11 season alone he banged in 36 goals and can play anywhere across the front or as an attacking midfielder – he is certainly worth the gamble as regards to his fitness. However a permanent deal at this stage is not on the agenda. Instead the Tottenham board are contemplating an arrangement where the player remains at Villarreal to continue his recuperation before switching to the Lane once he has resumed full training. A loan deal is being put in place where Spurs take on Rossi’s wages thereby relinquishing the struggling Spanish outfit of the hefty bill. A key condition included into the deal however would be a set price next summer irrespective of how well the player performs on English soil. At this point it is fair to speculate that the fee in question would be paltry in comparison to his true worth.

For their part Villarreal would presumably be extremely reluctant to agree to such terms although their position is weakened due to the fact that they sounded out Tottenham last March only weeks before the second injury occurred. At that point the fee was mooted to be in the region of £12m which amounted to a steal anyway.

With the capture of Adebayor currently prioritised Spurs are in no rush to seal any agreement and are content to stand firm and wait for Villarreal to yield for a player who would – initially at least – be viewed as a fourth striker. Should Rossi make a full recovery however the deal could well be considered in hindsight as the swoop of the summer.