Fink: Van der Vaart perfect for Hamburg
442 Staff - Thursday 12 July 2012, 12:34
Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink believes Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart would be a perfect fit for the Bundesliga side.
The Dutchman has been strongly linked with a summer exit from White Hart Lane, with reports suggesting his former club would be keen on taking him back to Germany.
Van der Vaart spent three years with Hamburg before moving to Real Madrid in 2008 before eventually joining Spurs in 2010.
The 29-year-old has made no secret of his desire to return to Germany in the future, where wife Sylvie van der Vaart currently works in television.
Fink stated that the former Ajax trainee would be welcomed back with open arms, but confessed that money would be an issue.
"Rafael [van der Vaart] is a very good player, who would be interesting for us - if we had the money," Fink told Kicker.
"But it does not make sense to talk about players who we cannot afford.
"Van der Vaart would fit perfectly in our profile - being 29-years-old and because of his playing style, too. Everybody would be happy, the coach, too."
Schalke are reportedly prepared to rival Hamburg for Van der Vaart's signature, with the Gelsenkirchen outfit seeing the Holland international to be the ideal replacement for Raul.