TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp will make a formal approach for Shay Given when the transfer window reopens in early January.

And while interim Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear has claimed there is “no way” the goalkeeper will be leaving St James’ Park at the turn of the year, senior Spurs officials are confident of luring Given to White Hart Lane.

Kinnear will seek an update on Mike Ashley’s attempts to sell the Magpies when he meets the sportswear magnate in London this weekend.

If an imminent sale is unlikely, he will ask for a contract to the end of the season in an attempt to remove some of the current uncertainty.

However, even if Kinnear is granted a contract extension, he is unlikely to have much influence over the club’s transfer activity during the next transfer window.

Instead, Ashley and executive director Dennis Wise will continue to call the shots.

The pair will make a decision on Given’s future if a formal approach is forthcoming.

With reliable understudy Steve Harper ready to step into the breach, Ashley and Wise are likely to be receptive to a formal offer from Tottenham if Newcastle’s ownership situation is not resolved.

Ashley will seek to at least break even in January, and with Newcastle’s scouts having watched Blackburn full-back Stephen Warnock last weekend, at least one significant sale is likely if the current Magpies hierarchy are forced to fund new arrivals.

In that event Given could well be allowed to leave.

With more than two-and-ahalf years of his current contract still to run, he is arguably the most expensive asset on Newcastle’s books, and despite having turned 32, he would still command a fee of more than £6m.

Redknapp is ready to offer at least that amount, with Spurs’ current first choice, Heurelho Gomes, having dropped a series of clangers in his debut season in the Premier League.

The Tottenham boss has also been linked with Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, but with Pompey officials desperate to prevent their former manager cherry-picking a host of his former club’s leading assets, Given may prove a more attractive and realistic target.

Sources in London suggest Spurs will be represented at this evening’s international friendly between Republic of Ireland and Poland, a game that will see Given captain his country in the absence of the injured Robbie Keane.

The scouting season is currently in full swing, and with Keith Harris’ attempts to sell Newcastle having slowed once again, Wise dispatched technical director Jeff Vetere and scout Lil Fucillo to Ewood Park last weekend to watch Warnock.

The full-back almost moved to Tyneside last summer, when Kevin Keegan warned of the desperate need for cover at left-back, and with Jose Enrique having struggled in recent weeks, it appears that the former manager’s words are finally having an effect.

Both Keegan and Kinnear have struggled to get the best out of Enrique, but it will be difficult to persuade Warnock to sign for a club that is up for sale. The situation may change if Ashley completes a sale by January, but Wise’s continued influence suggests the club are planning for business as usual at the turn of the year.