Mowbray tells 'money-grabber' Phillips: You can take our offer or leave Albion

But a stand-of fhas developed between Phillips - who turns 35 in July - and the club, with the player unhappy at being offered only a 12-month contract.

Phillips, who has 46 goals in 81 appearances since joining from Aston Villa in 2006, is a free agent and wants a two-year deal.

Goals galore: But Kevin Phillips wants a longer deal and has angered manager Tony Mowbray

The West Brom boss and Albion's hard-nosed chairman Jeremy Peace refuse to compromise and have also adopted a tough stance with out-of-contract midfielder Zoltan Gera and defender Martin Albrechtsen, who are stalling on new terms too.

Mowbray said: "For me, it should never be about money.

"We're not in the business of them going out and checking the rest of the world, coming back with their best offer and asking us to beat it - we don't operate like that.

"Our offers will stay the same, but can only remain on the table for a certain amount of time as we have to start knowing if we need to fill places.

"They will be offered the best contract this club can offer. Their agents know that and if they want to hawk them around and get a better price and salary package, we won't be budging."

Phillips has been offered a two-year deal by Championship side QPR and is attracting interest from Premier League rookies Stoke.

That may appeal as he has just bought a house outside Birmingham.

Hungary international Gera, 29, is wanted by Everton, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Bolton. But Mowbray is wary of caving in having witnessed Ipswich implode when relegated in 2002 after two years in the top flight after signing Finidi George and Matteo Sereni on huge wages.

"The squad is what everyone must respect. We won't be bursting the bank for any single player," added Mowbray, who played and coached at Portman Road. "I've seen it happen and it can be bad for a dressing room

"We won't be breaking structures, it's that simple as I want to be fair to the other players.

"If they get better packages out of our ball park and want to ply their trade elsewhere for more money, then good luck to them."