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Cape Town - Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to make midfielder Christian Eriksen their joint-top earner in the bid to keep him - but it may not be enough to persuade him to stay.
The Denmark international has less than a year left on his contract with the north London outfit and talks over an extension have made little progress.
It is understood Eriksen has set his sights on a move to Spain, with Real Madrid his preferred destination, when his deal at Spurs expires next June.
Tottenham are desperate not to lose the 27-year-old and are reportedly prepared to table a lucrative new deal that would more than double his existing wages.
The former Ajax midfielder is understood to earn £80,000-per-week, with Spurs willing to increase his pay packet to £200,000-per-week, giving him parity with star striker Harry Kane.
England international Kane became Tottenham’s top earner when he signed a new six-year contract in 2018, smashing the club’s wage structure.
Eriksen could yet reject the lucrative new deal, having previously made it clear money would not be the deciding factor in what he does next.
Real Madrid have kept a close eye on Eriksen for some time and could still move for him, with the transfer window in Spain open until August 31.
Meanwhile, Manchester United made a late move for Eriksen before the Premier League’s transfer window shut, only to pull out of talks as they felt he had his heart set on moving to the Bernabeu.
Following a summer of speculation, Mauricio Pochettino decided to start Eriksen on the bench for Saturday’s season-opener against Aston Villa.
He eventually introduced the Dane with 64 minutes gone, and Spurs trailing 1-0 to the newly-promoted side, and was delighted to see Eriksen change the game.
Tottenham eventually won the match 3-1 and Pochettino looks likely to hand Eriksen a start when they travel to take on Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.
Eriksen was one of two surprise omissions made by Pochettino when selecting his team for the weekend, with Jan Vertonghen left out of the squad entirely.
Much like Eriksen, Vertonghen has less than a year left to run on his Spurs contract, with the club taking up an option on his deal to extend the defender’s contract through until 2020.
Pochettino reportedly dropped Vertonghen over a lack of match fitness, a decision which is understood to have irked the Belgium international.
