Striker move mooted

Manchester City are hopeful they could soon cut their loses on Emmanuel Adebayor with Tottenham reportedly close to a £5m deal.

The former Arsenal striker spent all of last season on loan at White Hart Lane, and has previously enjoyed a temporary stint in Spain with Real Madrid after finding himself out of favour under Roberto Mancini. Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp had been very keen to sign the player on a permanent basis this summer but City's asking price and Adebayor's own wage demands seemed to have killed the chances of a deal being struck. However, the Londoners are now back in the running to take the 28-year-old after City dropped their valuation of Togolese international by half, while a compromise has been worked out over his salary. It's understood a deal could be thrashed out in days as the Premier League champions are anxious to free up their wage budget to make space for a move for Arsenal captain Robin van Persie. Adebayor, who scored 17 times for Spurs last season and provided 11 assists in his 33 appearances, is desperate himself to secure a transfer away from City, after enduring a miserable time at the Etihad Stadium since his £25m switch from Arsenal in 2009.