Spurs close on Hertha's Gilberto

LONDON, England -- Tottenham Hotspur look poised to sign Brazilian international Gilberto from German club Hertha Berlin.

Gilberto, 31, is a versatile performer who can operate in midfield but would also offer Spurs boss Juande Ramos an option at left-back.

He has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Premier League club and will likely join up at the end of the season.

"I'm accustomed to winning trophies with Brazil but now I'd like to do the same at club level," he said over the weekend.

Gilberto was included in the 2006 World Cup squad for Brazil and scored in the victory over Japan, cutting in from the left and drilling his finish into the far corner.

He had a brief, unsuccessful spell at Inter Milan in the 1999-2000 season but most of his career was spent in Brazil before moving to Germany in 2004. He is out of contract with Bundesliga Hertha at the end of the season.

Tottenham have only made one signing, Chris Gunter from Cardiff, in the January transfer window but have been linked with a number of players, including Stewart Downing of Middlesbrough and Tiago from Juventus.

Lyon striker Fred was also a target for Ramos, while the futures of Dimitar Berbatov and Jermain Defoe looked uncertain, although both appear increasingly likely to remain at White Hart Lane until at least the summer.

Ramos gave Defoe the skipper's armband for Saturday's victory over Sunderland as Ledley King and Robbie Keane were rested.

Keane, who came off the bench against Sunderland and scored his 100th goal for Spurs, is likely to partner Berbatov in attack for the League Cup semifinal against Arsenal on Tuesday.

Tottenham, who drew 1-1 against their north-London rivals in the first leg, are desperate to reach a Wembley final after a disappointing Premier League campaign which led to the sack for previous manager Martin Jol. E-mail to a friend