Tottenham suffer Johnson setback

Tottenham have had a £7.5million bid for Andrew Johnson and Wayne Routledge turned down by Crystal Palace.

Head coach Martin Jol wanted to bring in the Premiership's second top scorer with Robbie Keane's future at White Hart Lane still uncertain.

Jol has already agreed a deal to sign Routledge, 20, when his contract expires next month and will have to pay a fee because of the winger's age.

But the clubs opened negotiations in an attempt to avoid it being fixed by tribunal and Spurs threw in the possibility of a double deal involving 24-year-old Johnson.

Like Birmingham, West Brom and Man City before them, they were told the England star was not for sale. Johnson - in America with Sven-Goran Eriksson's side - has four more years on his contract and Palace chairman Simon Jordan says Johnson's goals will lead Dowie's team back up next season.

The intense interest will certainly drive his value up, but the striker knows his international ambitions could be damaged if he stays.

Earlier talks with Birmingham have left a legacy of illfeeling and Blues co-owner David Sullivan has threatened to sue Jordan over an alleged verbal attack on chief executive Karren Brady.

Sullivan, the Birmingham plc's chairman, said: "We will be putting it in the hands of our solicitors and libel experts. Simon Jordan seems to have criticised almost everyone in football.

"It strikes me he has a serious problem and needs to see an anger- management expert."

Birmingham co-owner David Gold said: "He's carrying a bitter grudge and is acting like a man who's had an argument with his wife and taking 10 years to get over it."

Jordan is busy in transfer negotiations. Several players, including Danny Granville, Darren Powell and Dougie Freedman, are out of contract and discussing new deals.

Darren Ward, who was attracting interest from Norwich, is understood to have joined from cost-cutting Millwall for £1m while Jobi McAnuff has joined from Cardiff for £450,000.