Roberto Soldado
Soldado scored 30 goals for Valencia last season.

Tottenham Hotspur's search for a striker is drawing to a close after manager Andre Villas-Boas confirmed the club have begun talks to sign Valencia's Roberto Soldado.

After clinching deals for Brazilian midfielder Paulinho and Belgian winger Nacer Chadli, a forward remains the number one priority in the transfer window for Tottenham following a campaign where both Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor struggled in front of goal.

Reports on Monday suggested Tottenham's new technical director Franco Baldini had flown out to Spain in order to conclude a deal for Soldado, who netted 30 goals for Valencia last season.

And Villas-Boas has confirmed the club's interest in the 28 year old and that talks have begun over a potential move to White Hart Lane.

"At the moment, he's just one of the players we are interested in," Villas-Boas told a Hong Kong press conference.

"It's not a lie to anybody that we've been looking for a striker to strengthen our squad and to have more strength in depth.

"Roberto is one of the players we have been following and his career speaks for itself. He's a great striker.

"But there isn't a deal being struck at the moment, it's just interest and conversations."

The departure of Soldado would be the fourth significant sale in as many summer transfer windows after Jordi Alba, Juan Mata and David Silva were offloaded to help offset Valencia's crippling debt problems.

Having missed out on qualification for the Champions League on the final day of last season, following defeat to Sevilla, Valencia's need to raise funds could see them settle on a fee of £18m.

Tottenham themselves failed in their attempts to qualify for the Champions League, finishing fifth behind north London rivals Arsenal.

While Footballer of the Year Gareth Bale top scored for Tottenham last term with 26 goals, strikers Defoe and Adebayor managed just 23 between them in all competitions while Villas-Boas was often bereft of depth in the position, with Clint Dempsey occasionally employed in a lone role in attack.

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