A fee reportedly worth £6.2million sterling has been agreed between Manchester United and Middlesbrough for Dwight Yorke, but the transfer has reportedly stalled due to the striker's wage demands.
The Trinidad and Tobago international, who earns around £24,000 a week at Old Trafford, wants a pay increase of between £20,000 and £30,000 a week to move to Middlesbrough.
Boro boss Steve McClaren, who has been told by chairman Steve Gibson to trim the club's hefty wage bill, is unwilling to meet Yorke's demands.
It is understood Boro are only prepared to offer Yorke, who has fallen from favour at United, around £35,000 a week.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not be pleased that the deal has hit this impasse. He wants to offload Yorke to make way for West Ham striker Paolo di Canio. Ferguson is keen to sign di Canio before Thursday's Champions League transfer deadline.
However, no deal is likely until Yorke has been moved on. McClaren hopes he will have something to say about Yorke "sooner rather than later" and Ferguson will be hoping it is good news. <
Yorke may also have lost some of his allure for McClaren because he is now cup-tied as he came on for the last 10 minutes of United's fourth-round defeat against Boro.
PA