Andre Villas-Boas has reportedly confirmed that Michael Dawson is still free to leave Tottenham Hotspur despite Younes Kaboul's injury blow.
The French defender has been ruled out for around four months after undergoing successful knee surgery.
This news was expected to prompt a Villas-Boas U-turn on Dawson's future after the Portuguese originally stated that the centre-half was up for sale.
However, the England international may still exit White Hart Lane with Villas-Boas seemingly content to get by with just William Gallas, Jan Vertonghen and Steven Caulker until the festive period.
Stoke City and Sunderland are rumoured to be monitoring Dawson, while Queens Park Rangers are likely to reignite their interest having had a £9m bid accepted by Spurs, only to be turned down by the 28-year-old.