Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is looking to sign another striker to bolster his frontline this month and has set his sights on Emile Heskey and Kenwyne Jones.

Redknapp has already secured a £16million deal with Portsmouth for Jermain Defoe, although it must still be cleared by the Premier League before he can play at Wigan on Sunday.

The Spurs boss now wants to bring a more physical forward to White Hart Lane because he is unconvinced by Darren Bent, while Roman Pavlyuchenko doesn't have the brute force he wants to trouble opposition defences.

Redknapp is understood to be interested in Heskey, who has just six months left on his contract at Wigan and is also wanted by Aston Villa and Liverpool.

But manager Steve Bruce is determined to keep the England international to boost his team's survival hopes and Spurs face a similar problem in trying to prise Jones away from Sunderland.

It is believed they have already had a tentative enquiry for the 24-year-old firmly dismissed, yet Redknapp's admiration for Jones has not diminished.

Meanwhile, Ghana international Stephen Appiah is close to agreeing terms on a contract after proving his fitness in training this week. The 28-year-old midfielder has been troubled with knee injuries in the past, which caused his contract to be terminated with Fenerbahce in the summer, and is now a free agent.

Redknapp also remains hopeful that winger Stewart Downing will finally complete his move to Tottenham and has been given fresh optimism by indications that Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate may now be ready to sell the winger even though chairman Steve Gibson is adamant he is not leaving.