With the close-season transfer market due to open shortly, Juande Ramos, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, has done little to dampen speculation that Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgaria striker, will be leaving the club during the summer. Asked if Berbatov had played his last game for Tottenham, Ramos said: “I don’t know, I hope not.”

Berbatov did not feature in Tottenham’s 1-0 win against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday. He suffered a groin injury in training on Friday and was left out of the squad. Ramos gave no indication whether Berbatov would play in Tottenham’s final match of the season, against Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Tottenham could decide to cash in on Berbatov, who has scored 23 goals this season and who could command a fee of up to £25 million. He has two years left on his contract but Manchester United as well as many of Europe’s leading clubs are believed to be interested in him.

The sale would help to swell the transfer kitty of Ramos, who has already spent £16.5 million on signing Luka Modric, the Croatia midfield player. As a replacement for Berbatov, Tottenham have been linked with David Villa, of Valencia, and Samuel Eto’o, of Barcelona. One player who Ramos will definitely lose is Radek Cerny, the goalkeeper, who announced last night that he will join Queens Park Rangers next season.