Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth were edging closer last night to an agreement over the transfer of Jermain Defoe back to the club he left a year ago.

The England striker is keen to return to North London and Tottenham are believed to offered Defoe a five-year contract. All that remains is for the clubs to reach agreement on a fee, although Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, was downbeat about the chances of the transfer going ahead. He also offered some curiously unselfish advice to Tony Adams, his former assistant, who replaced him as Portsmouth manager in October.

“If I was Tony Adams, I would not sell Defoe,” Redknapp said. “Peter Crouch and Defoe are a terrific partnership and that is why I bought them to play together when I was at Portsmouth. Whether I was in a relegation battle or not, I would not sell Defoe if I was his manager. I’d be surprised if the deal gets done as the clubs are a fair way apart on the price.”

However, Adams is under pressure to part with a player to ease Portsmouth’s financial worries and Defoe is an obvious choice, not only for the large sum he would command but because he has stated his desire to leave.

“I got the message Portsmouth would be willing to sell him,” Redknapp said yesterday, defending himself against any suggestion that he may have contributed to unsettling the player. With Tottenham, who play Burnley in their Carling Cup semi-final, first leg at White Hart Lane this evening, having abandoned their continental-style management structure, transfer policy should be straightforward: Redknapp providing Daniel Levy, the chairman, with names and leaving the rest to him.

Redknapp signed Defoe for Portsmouth for about £9 million but conceded yesterday that “12 months later, he is worth much more”. Portsmouth are thought to be seeking closer to £15 million. Redknapp agreed that Levy may feel loath to re-sign the player at far greater cost than he was sold. “Probably there would be a problem and I can understand that,” the manager said.

As well as the transfer fee, Defoe increased his wages from £35,000 to about £50,000 a week when he moved to the South Coast and is likely to demand as much as a £10,000 rise.

The 26-year-old is also a possible target for Aston Villa and Manchester City, but would be happier returning to White Hart Lane, where he spent four years before growing frustrated with life as a bit-part player while the partnership between Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov flourished.

Tottenham have collected only two points from their past four Barclays Premier League games and are outside the relegation zone only on goal difference. That precarious situation means that Redknapp has been given licence to expand his squad by any means necessary. “It’s pretty obvious that we need to buy,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of terrific loans that I have a chance of doing . . . a couple of foreign loans, but good players at good clubs.”

Stephen Appiah, the 28-year-old Ghana midfield player, who is a free agent after leaving Fenerbahçe last year, is training with Tottenham this week. They also spoke to Sunderland with a view to bringing back Pascal Chimbonda to his former club on loan, but his present employers will countenance only a permanent deal.

Injuries and suspensions mean that Redknapp is likely to name Hossam Ghaly on the bench again this evening. He was jeered by the White Hart Lane crowd when an unused substitute in last Friday’s FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic because he threw away his shirt when brought off in his last appearance for the club, more than 18 months ago. “It’s time to forgive and forget,” Redknapp said.

Tottenham Hotspur (possible, 4-4-2): H Gomes — V Corluka, J Woodgate, M Dawson, G Bale — D Bentley, L Modric, D Zokora, J O’Hara — F Campbell, R Pavlyuchenko.

Burnley (possible, 4-5-1): B Jensen — G Alexander, M Duff, C Carlisle, S Jordan — C Eagles, J Gudjonsson, C McCann, W Elliott, R Blake — M Paterson.

Referee: M Atkinson.

Television: Sky Sports 1 from 7.30pm (kick-off 8.0)