The Premier League is a world-renowned football league, and this year’s race for the title is heating up. With just two weeks to go, Spurs are looking like they will be going into the final day of the season with a chance of winning the league. Manchester City have been in hot pursuit all season but have fallen short on several occasions. However, if Spurs can hold out until gameweek 38, it could be an interesting finish to the campaign.
The harry kane is a player with Spurs. Man City is trying to sign him, but Spurs are not letting him go without a fight.
With fewer than four weeks before the summer transfer window shuts on August 31, the most significant transaction has yet to materialize, with England captain Harry Kane still at the center of a fight between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
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The 28-year-old, who is under contract with Spurs until the end of the 2023-24 season, has made it plain that he wants to go in order to improve his chances of winning a major trophy, and his refusal to appear for training earlier this week only helped to underline his desire to depart.
Spurs play City in their Premier League opener on Aug. 15, but the two clubs remain at odds about Kane’s worth, and the impasse shows no signs of ending soon.
Is there a solution that satisfies all sides with Kane likely to be at the center of a heated transfer drama between now and deadline day?
Spurs have a good bargaining position with Harry Kane, who has three years remaining on his deal. Tottenham Hotspur FC/Getty Images/Tottenham Hotspur FC
How much is Kane worth and who wants him?
Despite the fact that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain all have an interest in Kane and are keeping a close eye on his position, Man City are leading the race to sign him.
After allowing Sergio Aguero to join Barcelona as a free agent earlier this summer, City boss Pep Guardiola is looking for a world-class striker to fill the gap, and Kane is the top target.
Kane has made it plain, according to ESPN, that he wants to go to the Etihad Stadium and participate in the Winners League for the Premier League champions.
However, with Kane just halfway through a six-year deal signed in 2018, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy estimates that signing his team’s top player would cost £160 million, £60 million more than City’s estimate.
If City are ready to top up a £100 million bid with players — Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, and Gabriel Jesus have been mentioned as potential part-exchange possibilities — there may be some space for discussion, but Spurs are not willing to budge for the time being.
£160 million is out of pace with a game struck hard by the COVID-19 epidemic at 28, and Kane has had a number of injuries in recent seasons, but Spurs would argue that their star still has a lengthy contract to run and that City are one of the few teams able to find the money.
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Julien Laurens reacts to Harry Kane’s failure to show up for Tottenham training amid rumors that he is looking for a transfer to Manchester City.
Who will be the first to blink?
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Kane seems to be trying to settle the situation. He has been on vacation and has yet to return to the UK, but insiders say he will report back to Spurs once the required five-day isolation period has passed.
But, in the view of many, Kane made a statement of intent by going on strike and failing to report back on the agreed-upon day. Spurs are aware that he will play tough if necessary, but his actions will have no bearing on the move. It will come down to Levy and his colleague in the City, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, striking an agreement.
Players who desire to quit football teams are seldom kept. Having a dissatisfied, and possibly disruptive, player in the dressing room is said to be a formula for lowering team morale. A figure like this may also cause discord among supporters.
Spurs will agree to the move if their asking price is fulfilled, and Levy is willing to bargain. City will be confident in their ability to get Kane because teams will always seek to make a deal for a player whose attention is diverted elsewhere.
What makes Levy such a difficult negotiator?
When Levy pushed Man United to pay £30.75 million for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008, City helped him establish his fearsome image in numerous ways.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s effort to lure the Bulgarian away on the day of his City acquisition bolstered Levy’s position with United, and his tough bargaining netted him an extra £5.75 million.
He’s subsequently used similar deadline-day methods to acquire or sell players; Real Madrid, for example, spent £85 million for Gareth Bale in 2013. Spurs are seen as a heavyweight club by Levy, who enjoys the chance to disappoint City and United, but he may have met his equal in Al Mubarak.
Despite paying exorbitant transfer fees in the early days of Abu Dhabi ownership, City have played a different game in recent years, with their highest transfer expenditure being £63 million for defender Ruben Dias until this summer.
Virgil van Dijk and Harry Maguire were targets for City until the club declined to match the valuations of Southampton and Leicester City, respectively, enabling the defenders to join rivals Liverpool and Man United instead.
So, if Spurs and Levy refuse to budge, City may walk away, leaving them with a dissatisfied player and no large sum to spend on new recruits.
Is it possible to mend the relationship if Kane stays?
Mark Ogden, senior writer for ESPN FC, has all the latest news and reactions.
Kane’s wish to leave was greeted with resigned acceptance by Tottenham fans at the conclusion of last season, but he has now squandered that goodwill and harmed his connection with the club and its supporters by neglecting to return to training.
Despite this, numerous previous players have shown that there is always a way back into the fold. When trying to quit their clubs, Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), and Luis Suarez (Liverpool) all adopted hard-line stances against their clubs, yet they quickly returned to action and scored crucial goals.
Kane can do the same, and it’s impossible to see him not continuing to play as well as he has in the past, but he may end up like Rooney at United, acceptable but no longer adored by the fans who, remember, chanted that he is “one of our own.” Many people were shocked by Kane’s actions this week since they were so out of character for a normally uncontroversial, polished professional.
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Manchester City may sign both Jack Grealish and Harry Kane, according to Mark Ogden.
How aggressively will Man City pursue the Kane deal?
While the days of City being abused by teams seeking exorbitant transfer prices are long gone, they are keen to find a quality successor for Aguero and will battle tooth and nail to sign Kane. They know he wants to join them and that Spurs would work with them if the price is right, so it’s just a matter of finding a middle ground.
There is plenty of time, and they will continue for at least another two to three weeks, but there must be a cut-off point at which they must switch objectives.
Romelu Lukaku was a potential replacement, but the Inter striker now seems to be heading back to Chelsea. Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich is another option, with the striker possibly available due to a failure to extend his contract, which ends in 2023.
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The availability of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland next summer, according to Mark Ogden, may have an effect on Harry Kane’s future.
Is it possible that Kane will relocate next summer instead?
When Kane is healthy and scoring goals, there will always be a market for him, but the picture may change next summer when Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland become available. Mbappe’s deal at PSG hasn’t been extended, so he’ll be a free agent, while Haaland’s £66 million release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract will be activated.
So, if Kane is forced to stay at Tottenham for another season before searching for a major club next summer, when he will be 29, he would undoubtedly find himself at the bottom of the transfer market. All of Europe’s big clubs will do everything in their power to get one or both of the game’s most exciting young forwards.
Kane may not have as many choices as he had last summer, but he would still have attractive possibilities, and it would be simpler to force a transfer in a year, when his contract would be up for renewal. Top clubs, on the other hand, would be hesitant to invest a large amount for a 29-year-old.
On September 1st, where will Kane be?
In sports, money always triumphs, and City has the financial means to pull off a transaction. Kane also wants it to happen, so there’s a good chance he’ll sign this month.
Spurs must move fast if they are to make a deal; the worst-case scenario would be to sell their top player in the closing days of the window, leaving them with little time to adequately replace him. Expect a transfer before the transfer window closes in the last week.
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