Could Tottenham Hotspur break club transfer record for Roberto Soldado?

If Simon Jones of the Daily Mail is to be believed -- and please, take that with as many grains of salt as you feel are necessary (we recommend a handful) -- Tottenham Hotspur are willing to break their club record transfer fee to bring in Valencia striker Roberto Soldado. Here's what Jones had to say.

Spurs came close to a deal last year and have enquired again about the Spain international's availability. Chairman Daniel Levy is ready to sanction an offer nearing Valencia's £20million valuation which will eclipse the £16.75m paid to Dinamo Zagreb for Luka Modric in 2008.

There's a bit of sticker shock here for me, to be honest. I'm not really down with paying £20 million for a 28-year-old, as much as I rate Soldado. However, the chances that Levy comes to seriously regret paying up for him are slim.

While there's obviously no such thing as a sure thing, Soldado's as close as they come. I cannot envision a scenario that does not involve serious catastrophic injury in which he would be a flop. He might not score at quite the same rate he did for Valencia, but he'll be better than Emmanuel Adebayor if he stays healthy. And he has a history of staying healthy.

But, of course, this is the Mail. Keep an eye out for other independent reports that don't cite the Mail or Jones claiming that Tottenham have made a bid, but don't take this too seriously. For now, it's all just in good fun.