Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas and are set to offer him the post of manager, according to reports. The north London outfit has been in direct touch with the former Chelsea boss and confirmed he is club chairman Daniel Levy's first choice as Harry Redknapp's successor, according to the Guardian.

Despite the 34 year old coach's ill-fated tenure at Stamford Bridge and the resultant damage to his reputation, Levy believes the former Porto boss is a dynamic young leader who can drive the club forward for a long time.

The report adds Villas-Boas is keen on a move to White Hart Lane but has sought assurances the club will not sell their best players - particularly midfielder Luka Modric - before he commits to the job. The manager is a huge admirer of the Croatian playmaker and tried to sign him when he was in charge of Chelsea last summer, only for Levy to knock back the £40mn bid.

According to the Daily Mail, Villas-Boas held two consecutive days of negotiations with Tottenham regarding the vacant post. The report said that although the Portuguese is the frontrunner for the job at the moment, Levy also wants to speak to France coach Laurent Blanc before deciding on who will be the club's next manager.

Meanwhile, Spurs midfielder Steven Pienaar is expected to hold talks with club officials next week regarding his future.

The South African spent the second half of last season on loan at ex-employers Everton after finding that he was not getting enough time on the field under previous boss Redknapp. Pienaar, who did not start a single league game for Tottenham last term, impressed during his stint at the Toffees with four goals and seven assists from 14 appearances. The 30 year old is reportedly wanted by Everton on a permanent basis and the player is now keen to know if he will have a role in Spurs' first team next season, before deciding on his future.

"I need to know if I'll still be used by Spurs," The Sun quoted the midfielder as saying.

Tottenham signed Pienaar from Everton for a fee of around £3mn in January 2011, after the player snubbed a move to Chelsea in favour of Spurs.

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