Manchester City are ready to let Emmanuel Adebayor join Tottenham on a free transfer.
Two years after spending £25million to recruit the striker from Arsenal, the richest club in the world want to ditch the Togo striker and shed his £170,000-a-week wages.
But even on a free transfer, Spurs will shy away from a permanent deal. They are content to take Adebayor on loan, with City subsidising the bulk of the 27 year-old’s wages.
Over the next three years Adebayor’s wages will cost City around £30m.
City are also refusing to pay around £3m in agents fees and that’s why Samir Nasri’s £25m recruitment from Arsenal has stalled.
The clubs agreed the transfer fee and Nasri accepted City’s offer of a five-year deal worth £180,000-a-week.
But Sunday Mirror Sport understands that City broke off negotiations when it became clear that Nasri’s advisers wanted paying for making the deal happen.
Sources at the club last night insisted that the move could still take place.
But they have told Nasri and his advisers that they will not pay agency fees on top of a premium transfer fee and wages.
Nasri, who has turned down Arsenal’s offer of a new contract worth £90,000-a-week, featured in the Gunners side beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at The Emirates yesterday.
Adebayor is in danger of being frozen out of City’s plans and needs to escape the Eitihad Stadium.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said: “It in the hands of the chairman. I spoke to him some time ago about Adebayor and I would like to bring him to White Hart Lane if we can do a deal with City. But it would only be on loan.”
Spurs have a wage cap that has not exceeded £65,000 for several years and prevents them from even entertaining taking Adebayor on a permanent deal.