Hamburg billionaire calls on fans to fund move for Van der Vaart

Hamburg-based billionaire Klaus-Michael Kuhne has called on fans to part-fund the potential transfer of Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart back to the club.

The Netherlands international is reportedly nearing an exit at White Hart Lane, with a number of clubs interested in the 29-year-old.

And Kuhne believes that a Hamburg return could be a possibility for the player, who made  a total of 112 appearances for the club, between 2005 and 2008, with a potential outlay of 35 million euros in transfer fees and salary being mooted.

"I do not want to take over for the most part. But whether I would participate or not is another issue," he is quoted as saying by Bild.

"I would have suggested... If 60,000 members could come together and spend an average of €100, it would be a considerable sum.

"If you can mobilize only half of that, it would be a great thing."

Van der Vaart, who joined Tottenham from Real Madrid in 2010, has two years remaining on his four-year contract at White Hart Lane.