Tottenham today lodged a fresh £17million offer for Zenit St Petersburg forward Andrei Arshavin, as they prepare for life without Dimitar Berbatov.

Spurs have increased their bid from £12.5m, which was rejected earlier this month, in a lastditch effort to sign the Russian international.

They are desperate to strengthen the forward line having agreed to let Berbatov join Manchester United in a £28m deal, subject to a medical, and letRobbie Keane go to Liverpool last month.

Spurs and Zenit were in negotiations today and it is understood that Arshavin's representative Dennis Lachter is in Moscow to hopefully see the deal completed.

The Berbatov move should also go through soon with the player expected to complete a routine medical today.

Standard Sport revealed yesterday that United were on the brink of securing the deal.

Spurs have known all summer they were facing a losing battle to keep the 27-year-old as he refused to sign a new contract and made it clear he wanted to join Sir Alex Ferguson's side. They refused to let him go for less than £28m, giving them a healthy profit on the £10.9m they paid for him. But the move was delayed while the club stepped up their search for another striker and then there was a bust-up between Ferguson and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over United's pursuit of the player.

However, it was always going to be a matter of time and Berbatov is set to get a four-year contract worth around £80,000 a week.

The striker ignored United to go to Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen two years ago but only 12 months later said he was dreaming of heading to Old Trafford.

"It would be a pleasure for me to play [at United]," he said.

Meanwhile, Welsh internatinal Gareth Bale today signed a new fouryear contract that will keep the defender at Spurs until 2012.