• Redknapp not put off by Frenchman’s wage demands
• Spurs short of central-defensive options

The prospect of William Gallas joining Tottenham Hotspur grew tonight when the Frenchman’s agent, Étienne Mendy, arrived in London to open negotiations.

Gallas, the former Arsenal and Chelsea defender, is claimed to be demanding a salary of up to £90,000 a week, a sum that reportedly prevented Gallas joining Milan in the summer after his Emirates contract expired.

But Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, said last week that, after contact with his representatives, the 33-year-old’s wage demands are not an issue. ‘His wages aren’t a problem. He has not been greedy at all. His people have rung up and we spoke about it.’

Redknapp is keen to strengthen his defence as Ledley King’s chronic knee problem and Jonathan Woodgate’s long-term groin injury have left the manager with only Sébastien Bassong and Michael Dawson as his senior central defenders.

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• Modric: I have no interest in going anywhere else
• Six-year deal ties midfielder to Tottenham until 2016

The Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has signed a new six-year contract which ties him to Tottenham Hotspur until 2016.

The 24-year-old arrived from Dynamo Zagreb in the summer of 2008 on a five-year deal and, although the transfer fee was £16.6m, his weekly wage did not put him in Tottenham’s top bracket of earners. He had recently been linked with a lucrative move to Manchester United or Chelsea after his impressive form for the north London club over the past two seasons.

Modric has been described by the Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, as the squad’s one world-class talent. He was instrumental in Tottenham finishing in fourth place and reaching the Champions League qualifying stages for the first time.

A few days after Spurs achieved that goal, he married his girlfriend, Vanja. The couple are said to be happy in London and are expecting their first child. After committed his long-term future to Tottenham, Modric said he had “no interest in going anywhere else”.

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• Tottenham captain signs new contract
• Says, ‘I could never see myself going anywhere else’

Tottenham’s captain, Ledley King, has signed a new deal which will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2012.

The 29-year-old England defender, who is in Fabio Capello’s 30-man provisional World Cup squad, is a product of the Spurs academy and has made 290 first-team appearances since 1998.

King has been dogged by knee problems in recent years but his training schedule has been carefully managed, allowing him to appear 20 times this season as Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League,

King said: “I am delighted to have signed a new contract with Spurs. I have been here since I was a schoolboy and I could never see myself going anywhere else. This is where I want to continue playing my football.

“We’ve got the prospect of Champions League football to look forward to next season and with the quality of players we have I believe we are on the brink of something big.”

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