Yankee being paid in yen (8)
I believe the answer is:
yearning
'yen' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'yankee being paid' is the wordplay.
'yankee' becomes 'Y' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'being paid' becomes 'earning'.
'y'+'earning'='YEARNING'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for yearning that I've seen before include "Hunger" , "Craving" , "Longing, wishing for" , "Intense longing" , "Unfulfilled desire or need" .)