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There’s already drama behind the scenes of “The Real Housewives of New York,” which has begun filming its eighth season without three of the series’ stars who are holding out for more money.

Sources tell Page Six that the holdouts — ­LuAnn de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and ­Ramona Singer — are still negotiating new contracts since they want to get closer to the more than $1 million paycheck higher-paid co-star Bethenny Frankel is making.

But a source said the last-minute holding out “could work against them.” And if they don’t sign, Frankel has “a long list of friends” from which to suggest replacements on the show to Bravo.

Skinnygirl cocktail mogul Frankel scored a ­reported $1 million payday to return to the Bravo franchise last season, which gave the show a much needed boost. But “the other women aren’t even close” in salary, a source close to the show told us.

As a result, “LuAnn, Sonja and Ramona have banded together [in holding out for more],” another source said. “They have not come to terms. The negotiations are always down to the last minute, but now the show’s started filming” with Bethenny, Dorinda Medley and Carole Radziwill. “The others are not filming because they have not signed their contracts.”

A source close to the production said it hasn’t been decided who’s returning. But Frankel and Radziwill were filming at a restaurant Tuesday.

The first source added that if the trio of holdouts doesn’t sign soon, “Bethenny is close with [executive producer] Andy Cohen. She has a long list of friends she can just find to replace them.”

A source said LuAnn, Sonja and Ramona are forming a unified front, but one insider added it’s looking likely Lesseps will return to the show.

­“Luann’s a wild card,” said the source. “She’s getting a new apartment in Manhattan and a plotline this season will be her decorating the apartment.” The source added that usually social Sonja’s been holed up at home till the contract’s done, and that the holdouts were noticeably absent from a Dream Downtown party this past week for Cohen’s SiriusXM channel.

Bravo had no comment.