Transfer news:Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admits Ruud van Nistelrooy's wages mean the Real Madrid striker is unlikely to arrive at White Hart Lane. German club Hamburg have joined the race to sign the 33-year-old, with West Ham and Stoke also interested in the former Manchester United player.
Moving to the Bundesliga may lead to a lower salary than Van Nistelrooy would demand if he joined a Barclays Premier League, with over a €100,000 per week a huge stumbling block for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
"We don't pay that type of wages here," Redknapp said. "Daniel, the chairman here, runs a good business and wouldn't be paying that sort of money.
"It would break our wage structure by an awful long way. He's probably worth it and is probably earning an awful lot more at Real Madrid. He's been a great player and could still be that for someone.
"It's a gamble because he has been injured. A fit Ruud van Nistelrooy is world-class but it's a gamble as to whether he's fit. If you have him for 18 months and he's not fit it's a big problem to have a massive wage on your bill."
Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch are Redknapp's first-choice strikers at the moment and Roman Pavlyuchenko will be allowed to leave if the club receive an adequate offer.
"I've got four strikers at moment and I don't want five," Redknapp said. "I think I'll end the season with these four, although that could change next week, you never know, but it's more than likely that's how we will go."
However, Spartak Moscow's director of football Dmitri Popov thinks otherwise and says his club are interested in re-signing Pavlyuchenko, who they sold to Spurs at the start of last season.
"Now everything depends upon Tottenham," he said. "If they make just a step in our direction, the problem with Roman's transfer will be solved.
"Some other teams want to sign him, too. But as far as I know if Pavlyuchenko returns to Russia, he would prefer to come back to Spartak."
Burnley, meanwhile, have signed striker Frederic Nimani from Ligue 1 side Monaco on an initial five-month loan.
France Under-21 international Nimani becomes new Clarets boss Brian Laws' first capture since taking over a Turf Moor.
A statement on the club's official website stated that three other top-flight teams had expressed an interest in the 21-year-old, who subsequently opted for Burnley. The club also said the loan deal was agreed "with a view to a possible permanent move".
Nimani has played eight times for Monaco this season, scoring once.
Stokeboss Tony Pulis finds himself involved in a case of deja vu surrounding his bid to sign England goalkeeper David James. Eight days ago he stood on the brink of recruiting the 39-year-old on loan from Portsmouth for the remainder of the season.
However, the deal fell through due to an issue over wages as it is understood Stoke were only prepared to pay a portion of James' rumoured £65,000-per-week salary, and only up until the end of the season, rather than the end of his contract in June.
The deal, though, has since been resurrected.
"It's exactly the same as last week. We're in a situation where the clubs are trying to do a deal," said Pulis on James. "If we were going to do it and wanting him to play on Sunday (against Asrsenal in the FA Cup) then we had to do it by noon, which has not been the case, so it takes the pressure off in a lot of respects."