Barcelona the most likely destination for unsettled Adebayor

Arsenal are prepared to sell Emmanuel Adebayor but are still demanding €45m (£37.5m) for the 24-year-old striker. That would represent a profit of more than £30m for the Gunners, who signed the Togolese striker from Monaco in January 2006.

Neither Barcelona nor Milan – who remain interested in Adebayor despite their public denials this week – will pay that fee but Barça are understood to be prepared to go closer to Arsenal's demands. As yet they have not submitted an increase on the £24m bid that they felt sure would be decisive when it was made last week.

If Barça were to offer £30m it is likely Arsenal would accept, although a complication in their approach – and possibly the reason why they have been willing for their interest to go public – is that the club president, Joan Laporta, faces a "motion of censure" from some members tomorrow. If it is lost it will see Laporta having to contest an election to retain his post which may delay any further signings.

From Adebayor's point of view the situation is simple. He wants to leave Arsenal and go to the club willing to pay him the highest wages, believing that he belongs in the top tier of players in the world after scoring 30 goals last season. Having been encouraged to think that both the Italian club – thought to be his preferred choice – and the Spanish are prepared to pay him in excess of £100,000-a-week, he is agitating for a move.

For Arsenal, who are set to secure the signing of Marseilles' Samir Nasri at the end of next week, the funds would be helpful. However, Arsène Wenger's first priority will be to sign a similarly physical striker as Adebayor's replacement. Blackburn Rovers' Roque Santa Cruz remains the most likely option and would be cheaper than Spartak Moscow's Roman Pavlyuchenko.

l West Ham have signed the Iceland Under-21 central defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson on a "long-term contract" from HK Kopavogur. The 17-year-old had a week-long trial with the Hammers last season. The 18-year-old Czech goalkeeper Marek Stech has signed a new five-year contract at the club.