Tottenham fail with shock transfer approach to Chelsea about swapping Torres for Adebayor

Tottenham made a cheeky ­deadline offer to Chelsea to SWAP unwanted strikers Emmanuel Adebayor for Fernando Torres.

Spurs supremo Daniel Levy ­authorised the unlikely bid, which was rejected out of hand, as the latest step in the summer spat between the two London clubs.

Striker Adebayor has been frozen out at the White Hart Lane club and is not in boss Andre Villas-Boas’ plans.

And offering the £5million signing from Manchester City to their Stamford Bridge rivals for the most expensive player in British football – £50m Torres – appeared little more than a wind-up by the Spurs board.

* TOTTENHAM duo Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Tom Carroll have joined QPR on season-long loans.

Both men played under the Hoops' then-Spurs boss Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane.

They will stay at Loftus Road for the rest of the 2013-14 campaign as the west Londoners plot an instant return to the Premier League.