Report: Tottenham Hotspur to beat Arsenal to Ciprian Marica

Tottenham Hotspur appear poised to beat London rivals Arsenal and West Ham United to the signature of out-of-contract striker Ciprian Marica, according to a report.

The Romanian international forward is a free agent after leaving Schalke 04 at the end of last season and has been attracting interest from those Premier League clubs short of options up front.

After banishing Emmanuel Adebayor to the reserves, Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas has only two senior forwards in the form of £26m-man Roberto Soldado and Jermain Defoe at his disposal.

Spurs are hoping to offload both Adebayor and promising youngster Harry Kane on loan, which will free up room for Marica to join on a £60,000-a-week three-year contract, the Sunday People reports.

Marica, 27, who has also played for Shakhtar Donetsk and Stuttgart, has scored 22 times in 64 appearances for Romania.