Keane deal going to the wire

Keane, who has endured a frustrating six months at Anfield after leaving Spurs in the summer, was given permission to speak to his former club.

"We've allowed Robbie to talk to Spurs but we've not yet finalised a deal with them for the player," said a Reds spokesman.

That meant Keane was in the frame to become the third player manager Harry Redknapp has brought back to White Hart Lane this month, following Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda.

Spurs have also been linked with Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma, after the Portugal international was left out of his club's updated Champions League squad. Inter manager Jose Mourinho is also a known admirer of Jermaine Jenas, raising the possibility of a swap deal.

A likely exit from White Hart Lane is Giovani dos Santos who is having a medical at Portsmouth with chief executive Peter Storrie telling the News: "He's here but there have to be more medical and fitness tests to assess his (Giovani's) levels before anything is taken further."

Any agreed deals could be extended beyond the 5pm deadline due to the weather.

The Premier League announced they will grant applications from clubs to complete transactions after the deadline if there is email confirmation from the two clubs involved that a deal has been agreed in principle.

The club signing the player must also satisfy the board that the prevailing weather conditions have prevented the signing from being completed by the deadline.

Andrei Arshavin braved the weather and made a last-ditch trip to London for an anticipated move to Arsenal - but his transfer from Zenit St Petersburg has been declared off.