HARRY Redknapp will make Tim Krul one of his top summer transfer targets – if he stays at Tottenham Hotspur.
Krul has been outstanding between the posts for Newcastle United this season.
And his form has impressed Redknapp, who is the bookmakers’ favourite to become the next England coach.
Newcastle slapped a £15m price tag on Krul in last month’s transfer window amid interest from Redknapp, who is looking to add a goalkeeper to his squad with Brad Friedel turning 41 in May.
Krul is contracted to United until 2014, but that deal was signed before he became the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
And it doesn’t reflect the progress he has made on the field.
As such, the 23-year-old, also a senior Holland international, could be in line for a pay rise, with Newcastle manager Alan Pardew desperate to keep his key players at St James’s Park.
The club is in talks with a number of players over new contracts, notably Fabricio Coloccini, Danny Simpson and Danny Guthrie.
Meanwhile, Redknapp’s other front-line goalkeeper is 38-year-old Carlo Cudicini, and a younger challenger is seen as a must at Tottenham, who remain in this season’s Premier League title race.
And sources in London say Krul is the player Redknapp wants to compete with Friedel.
However, Redknapp’s future at White Hart Lane is in doubt, with the 64-year-old odds-on favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England coach.
Should Redknapp leave the club in the summer and take charge of his country, his successor could still move for Krul, who joined United in 2006 as an unknown from Dutch club Den Haag.
For his part, ambitious Krul is happy at Newcastle, and he is understood to be willing to talk about a new contract that would reflect his status as the club’s first choice.
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