Harry Redknapp Reveals Spurs Bid for Manchester Uniteds Rio Ferdinand

The Spurs boss was keen to strengthen his backline ahead of the club's Champions League campaign and eventually brought in ex-Arsenal defender William Gallas on a free transfer.

Gallas has proved to be a big success for Tottenham, but Redknapp has now indicated the Frenchman was not his first choice.

Instead he hoped to persuade Manchester United to part with England international Ferdinand - a player he worked with during his time in charge at West Ham United.

Redknapp told the Observer he targeted Ferdinand primarily because of his leadership skills and positive influence in the dressing room, but found the Red Devils were unwilling to sell.

'I can't ever see us getting Rio now. I was interested. Last year, I tried. I tried at the start of the season,' he said.

'When he was on the teamsheet against Chelsea in the Champions League, I thought Man United had got a much, much better chance of getting a result and it proved that way.'

Redknapp apparently intends to make his defence a priority when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

If Tottenham fail to qualify for the Champions League again he is likely to have a limited budget and, according to the Sunday Mirror, he plans to use much of it to fund a move for Benfica and Portugal left-back Fabio Coentrao.

He is likely to face strong competition for the £12 million-rated World Cup star, who is also believed to be a target for Manchester City.