Hamburg rule out approach for Rafael van der Vaart

Hamburg chairman Carl Edgar Jarchow has claimed that the club cannot afford Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.

The Dutchman was strongly linked with a switch to the Bundesliga following Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink's comments that the playmaker was an "ideal" signing for the club.

Despite initial interest in the 29-year-old, Jarchow told Bild: "We cannot finance a move for Rafael van der Vaart."

The former Real Madrid midfielder recently claimed that he will "probably" stay at White Hart Lane.