Peter Crouch will join up with manager Harry Redknapp for the third time in his career after Tottenham agreed a deal with Portsmouth for the striker.

The England forward, who played under Redknapp at Pompey and Southampton, successfully completed a medical yesterday before agreeing personal terms on a deal believed to be worth £9million.

That figure represents a cut-price layout for Spurs after Sunderland agreed a £12million deal with Pompey only last week.

Crouch had travelled up to the north-east and agreed personal terms with the Black Cats but, amid growing interest from Tottenham, as well as Fulham, the 28-year-old pulled out of the deal, telling the club he wanted to remain in the south.

That reinvigorated Spurs' interest and they beat off competition from their west London rivals to secure the services of a player who scored 16 times in all competitions for Pompey last term.

"We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Portsmouth for the transfer of Peter Crouch to the club, following the player successfully completing a medical examination and agreeing personal terms," a statement on Tottenham's website, www.tottenhamhotspur.com, read last night.

Redknapp has experienced mixed fortunes with Crouch in his team after their first partnership culminated in Southampton's relegation from the Premier League.

They did, however, team up to win the FA Cup with Pompey in 2008 and Redknapp admitted his desire to sign the player on Sunday following Spurs' 2-0 Wembley Cup defeat by Celtic.

"He's different. He holds the ball up. Celtic held the ball up well but we don't do that well enough," he said.

"He gives you an option and he's played for me a few times before. He's always done a job and he's great on set-plays at both ends."

Crouch's departure from Fratton Park makes him the latest high-profile player to leave the south-coast club in the past 12 months with Lassana Diarra, Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson having all left on big-figure deals, while Spurs may recoup the cash spent on Crouch if Sunderland complete the signing of striker Darren Bent.

A statement from Portsmouth last night admitted Crouch's sale had been agreed upon to help the club meet their debt repayment obligations.

"We are sorry to see Peter go both as a player and a person and would like to thank him for playing a key role in keeping the club in the Premier League last season," the statement on the club's website, www.portsmouthfc.com, read.

"His sale was necessitated by the club's commitment to repay scheduled debts while we are in the transitional period of completing the takeover.

"We will now be looking to add fresh faces to the first-team squad as soon as possible."