Harry Redknapp says he would love to sign Wayne Rooney - but admitted the wantaway Manchester United striker was unlikely to join Tottenham.

Speculation over Rooney's future reached fever pitch after United boss Sir Alex Ferguson finally admitted the England star wanted to leave Old Trafford and was refusing to sign a new contract.

And Spurs boss Redknapp was one of the first to openly declare an interest in landing the 24-year-old, whose current deal has less than two years to run.

"I'm going to speak to my chairman and see if we can get Rooney to Tottenham," Redknapp half-joked ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.

Pressed on whether Tottenham were realistic contenders for Rooney's signature, Redknapp said: "It's not impossible. If he's going to stay in England, who knows?"

Quizzed over the Champions League contest, Redknapp vowed to stick to his attacking principles at the San Siro, despite being without suspended talisman Rafael van der Vaart.

The Spurs' boss declaration of intent whetted the appetite for the club's fans, who have been treated to a feast of goals during what is their first taste of Europe's elite club competition for almost half a century.

Asked if Tottenham would "start like an express train", as they did in last month's draw at Werder Bremen, when they raced to a 2-0 lead, Redknapp said: "We always have a go; we play an attacking game. We won't just look to sit back and soak up pressure for 90 minutes; that's not the way we play."