Pavlyuchenko heads for Tottenham

Spartak Moscow have told BBC Sport that striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is poised to join Premier League side Tottenham.

"A deal has been agreed between the clubs and the transfer may be concluded by Thursday," said a club spokesman.

The 26-year-old Pavlyuchenko, a Russian international, is still in Moscow awaiting a visa that will allow him to travel to London to complete the move.

"Right now I'm getting my visa and as soon as it is ready I will fly to England to sign a contract," he said.

"Everything has happened very quickly so I could not even say goodbye to my team-mates."

BBC Sport understands that the deal is not yet a formality but Spartak's general manager Valery Karpin told Russian newspaper Soviet Sport that Pavlyuchenko was on his way to White Hart Lane.

"There is a concrete sum which Tottenham proposed and we have agreed the amount," he said.

"If Roman will agree a contract then we are ready to let him go. If Roman begins to play in England, this will be good both for him and for the team."

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Would Pavlyuchenko be a success in the Premier League?
Pavlyuchenko was Russia's top scorer at Euro 2008 with three goals as they reached the semi-finals. He also netted twice in a 2-1 win over England in a qualifying match in October last year.

"I could not decide if I wanted to go to England at first - first yes, then no," added Pavlyuchenko.

"The only thing that stopped me from leaving was my family. But now all doubts are behind me and I decided to sign a contract with Tottenham and the formalities are practically settled."

Spurs have been searching for a striker as a replacement for Robbie Keane, who joined Liverpool for £20.3m this summer, while Dimitar Berbatov looks set to leave the club before the end of the current transfer window on 1 September.

The Bulgaria striker has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United and did not feature in the 2-1 defeat at home to Sunderland on Saturday.

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