Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp concedes Emmanuel Adebayor will have to take a huge pay-cut if he is to stay at White Hart Lane next season.
Adebayor has played a key role in helping Tottenham turn around their season. Since he signed on loan from Manchester City, the Londoners have lost just once and they can move level with Adebayor's parent club at the top of the Barclays Premier League if they beat Wolves at White Hart Lane.
Adebayor has struck up a good understanding with Rafael van der Vaart to keep top goalscorer Jermain Defoe out of the team and the Togo striker is keen to make his move to north London permanent.
Spurs' top earners are thought to be on roughly £70,000 a week - about a third of what Adebayor receives at the Etihad Stadium, and Redknapp summed up the gulf in spending power between the two clubs this afternoon by saying: "He has done well for us. He has worked hard but he is on amazing money.
"The other week, one of the lads told him that he had not paid his £50 fine for being the worst player in training on a Friday morning. One of the lads said to him: 'Bloody hell, Ade, you are on 200 grand a week and you can't afford to pay a £50 fine!' He replied: 'Don't insult me, it's 225!'"
The laughter that followed the anecdote was followed up by a serious message from Redknapp, who admitted: "He certainly isn't getting that here."
Redknapp went on to admit that Tottenham's strict wage structure means he faces a tough battle to keep many of his stars at White Hart Lane despite the club being in with a serious chance of winning their first title in 51 years this term.
"Players play for a club and they enjoy being there, but if someone comes along and offers them a contract that could blow their current one out of the water, then you've got a problem," he said.
"I'd be talking rubbish if I said people wanted to stay at Tottenham just because we're playing good football. I'd be dreaming. If you want to keep the best players, we have to find a way of doing a deal that's near to what they can earn elsewhere, otherwise it will be a problem.
"If you're a top player and someone wants to give you a fantastic contract, it's very hard to hang on to them."
Spurs' resurgence started when they Adebayor scored on his debut to help the club beat Wolves 2-0 at Molineux in September.
Since then Redknapp's men have lost just once and have only drawn three times in their following 17 games.
Another key reason behind the club's surge up the table has been Redknapp's ability to stick with the same team.
That policy has led to grumblings of discontent among the club's fringe players, with the likes of Heurelho Gomes, Niko Kranjcar, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Steven Pienaar and Jermain Defoe all desperate for more game time.
Defoe is the club's top scorer with 11 goals but has started just seven league games. A representative of the England striker has been complaining about his client's lack of starts, Redknapp revealed today, but the Spurs boss insists he will not be letting the player leave.
Redknapp added: "(Chairman) Daniel (Levy) spoke to his agent and he said he (Defoe) is not happy because he wants to play and he has got a few clubs in for him. I'm sure he has got a few clubs in for him but we are not selling him. He is a big player for us.
"He is a good lad. I have taken him everywhere and get on great with him. He gets disappointed but there is every chance he will play tomorrow."
QPR bid for Pienaar yesterday but it was rejected and Redknapp does not want to let the midfielder leave either.
"Steven is a good player. I wouldn't want to sell him," Redknapp said.
Redknapp could again be without Scott Parker, who missed Wednesday's win over Everton with a knee injury, for tomorrow's match.
However, there was some good news from the treatment room regarding Tom Huddlestone, who has returned to light training after recovering from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since August.
"Tom Huddlestone trained today for the first time in months," Redknapp said.
"That's good for him, it has been so sad for him. He is a fantastic footballer."
