Tottenham are struggling to find the funds to make Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor's loan a permanent deal.
Metro says Spurs have baulked at the £17m asking price of the Premier League leaders, especially after £14m Craig Bellamy, another of the players to be marginalised by Mancini, was allowed to join Liverpool on a free.
Despite the fact he clearly has no future under Roberto Mancini, City still want to recoup as much of the £25million they paid Arsenal for the frontman in 2009.