German Bundesliga club SV Hamburg on Wednesday said they were still hopeful of signing Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart.
Hamburg official Carl-Edgar Jarchow said that it was now up to van der Vaart's club Tottenham Hotspur whether the transfer would go ahead or not.
"There is not a lot of time, it is really up to Tottenham Hotspur," he told dpa.
"If we have a chance to sign him, we will do everything we can to make that happen."
Media reports say that Spurs are seeking 18 million euros (22.5 million dollars) for the 29-year-old, who played for Hamburg for three seasons from 2005.
The Bundesliga club has, however, just signed Petr Jiracek and Milan Badelj for eight million euros and are unwilling to pay that much for van der Vaart. AFP
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