Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly hit a wall in their efforts to bring Julian Nagelsmann to the club due to the German's extortionate salary.
Since being ruthlessly let go by Bayern Munich last month to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel, Nagelsmann has emerged as a leading contender to take the reins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Lilywhites have experienced a farcical managerial shake-up in the past few weeks, firstly parting ways with Antonio Conte after his incendiary rant towards his players after a 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Instead of departing with his chief, Conte's assistant Cristian Stellini was promoted to acting head coach, having made a positive impression when standing in on the touchline for the Italian during his absence for gallbladder surgery.
However, Stellini won just one of his four games in charge of the North London club and was sacked just 29 days into the job, having overseen a humiliating 6-1 loss to Newcastle United last weekend.
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Ryan Mason, whose first stint as interim head coach came in 2021 after Jose Mourinho was given the boot, will once again see out the final few weeks of the season, but the 31-year-old is highly unlikely to earn a permanent gig.
Having withdrawn from the race to become Chelsea's new head coach, Nagelsmann is believed to have identified Tottenham as an ideal location for his next job, in spite of possible summer interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Nagelsmann's former RB Leipzig colleague Ralf Rangnick has encouraged the 35-year-old to move to North London, but according to The Telegraph, his salary could prove to be a problem.
Bayern are still believed to be paying the German's yearly £10.6m wage, meaning that the Bundesliga champions would be in line for compensation from Spurs, while Nagelsmann himself would be owed money from his former club.
While Tottenham are prepared to dip into their warchest to satisfy Bayern's financial needs, the report claims that Daniel Levy has imposed a limit, and the current demands are too high for the Spurs chairman.
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In contrast, PSG and Real Madrid - who could wave goodbye to Christophe Galtier and Carlo Ancelotti respectively this summer - would likely have no problem reaching an economical agreement.
Nagelsmann is thought to be at the top of Spurs' wishlist, but the North London club have identified a number of alternatives to the 35-year-old should their pursuit ultimately prove fruitless.
Feyenoord's Arne Slot and Celtic's Ange Postecoglou are thought to have admirers at the club, while ex-Spain and Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique is being heavily linked with the job too.
Mason's inaugural game of his second spell in charge ended in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Thursday, as Spurs recovered from a two-goal deficit through Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min.
The 31-year-old's side occupy fifth place in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday's clash with Liverpool at Anfield, six points behind Man United - who have two games in hand - in the final Champions League spot.
Ben Knapton
