Spurs’ wantaway striker Harry Kane may be finding it a tad more difficult now to move to both the Manchester clubs drooling at the prospect of signing him this summer, or Chelsea too for that matter, now that Tottenham chief Daniel Levy has plastered a staggering £200m price tag on the England captain with total disregard for the post-pandemic debilitating economic situation and sensitivity.
It also goes to show that, apart from Levy’s reputation for being a pain-in-the-proverbial-butt, hard-assed negotiator as testified to by even the likes of the venerable Sir Alex Ferguson – by no means a softie himself – it also doesn’t pay to cross him, as Kane reportedly did when speaking in his candid tell-all interview with Gary Neville earlier, and in the process incurred the displeasure of his Spurs chairman.
Of course it’s no secret that Spurs most prolific striker could leave the club if he so desired, and which was exactly what he thought too, having appeared to bid a veiled goodbye to fans and teammates in his post-match lap last week, which naturally prompted speculation about his future plans.
The England captain is now set to be the hot subject of an intense bidding war between neighbors Manchester City and Manchester United this summer, with Kane suggesting he has a gentleman’s agreement with the club to allow him to leave. Hopefully not one similar to that of the infamous Messi-Bartomeu ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that finally brought a club’s board to its knees?
So it now appears it may be a while, miracles notwithstanding, for Kane’s desire for trophies and Champions League football aspirations to be realized as Tottenham chief Daniel Levy has reportedly increased the 27-year-old’s price tag to as astronomical £200m, according to the latest reports.
Needless to say, such a mind-blowing figure in pandemic-sensitive times would likely price the Manchester clubs and Chelsea out of a deal. Despite Kane having notched up both the most goals and most assists in the Premier League this season, those clubs may now be compelled to pursue alternatives Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, both of whom are thought to be available for under £200m this summer.
Levy believes the figure is a fair representation of the damage Kane’s departure would leave the club with.
The three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner still has three years left on his current deal, and is pivotal in the club’s quest to regain Champions League football and also attain top 4 Premier League aspirations.
Former North London rival Paul Merson insisted it would be catastrophic for Spurs to lose Kane at this stage, comparing it to Robin van Persie’s departure from Arsenal. He wrote in the Daily Star:
“Tottenham are FINISHED if they let Harry Kane leave the club.
“But it’s a nightmare scenario for Spurs because they’ve been here before with Gareth Bale. They got a record fee for him and bought loads of players to replace him, but it just didn’t work.
“It’s a domino effect. It’s over for Spurs if Kane leaves. Without Kane they have no chance of finishing top four next season.
“I just think this is a Robin Van Persie to Manchester United situation,” Merson added. “Spurs would be selling their best player and they could go the same way Arsenal did.
“Arsenal went to the Emirates Stadium with a team full of superstars. Within a few years, they didn’t have ONE. You could see that happening to Spurs.”
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
