Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has said that he is open to a move back to the Barclays Premier League.

And the admission has placed Tottenham Hotspur on high alert.

The former Manchester United hitman's deal with Los Blancos expires at the end of the current campaign and he is unlikely to be offered an extension.

Van Nistelrooy said: "In January I can negotiate, see what comes and what the club does. It's a matter of playing and getting my form back."

Spurs almost signed the 33-year-old for a bargain price of £1million in the offseason.

However, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was unwilling to pay him his £100,000-a-week wages, and was also put off by the Dutchman's injury record.

Van Nistelrooy, who spent nine months on the sidelines with a knee injury, added: "I'm fully fit now, healthy physically and mentally."