Tottenham have rebuffed a sensational £125m offer from Manchester City to sign Harry Kane – but the striker is still holding out for a move to the Etihad before the summer transfer window closes.
Pep Guardiola has made no secret of his desire to sign England captain Kane as he looks to replace Sergio Aguero and strengthen a Man City squad that has already been bolstered by £100m signing Jack Grealish.
Kane informed Spurs that he wanted to leave earlier in the summer, with reports suggesting he had an understanding with Tottenham chief Daniel Levy that he could leave if the club failed to win a trophy or finished outside the top four last season.
The Daily Telegraph say Kane has issued a fresh plea to Levy to honour the agreement he feels they reached, but that the Spurs chairman is refusing to even discuss a potential transfer, despite Man City’s bid standing at £125m.
That fee would be a new British transfer record but it is claimed Levy is determined not to sell Kane, who believes he should be allowed to join the Premier League champions before the end of the month.
Kane missed Tottenham’s 1-0 win over City on the opening weekend of the new season as he is still working his way back up to full fitness following a late return to club duty.
The 28-year-old has developed into one of the best players in world football during his long stint at Tottenham, scoring 221 goals in 336 games for Spurs.
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After being left out of Tottenham’s opening Premier League fixture against Manchester City, Gary Neville said ‘something has happened’ regarding his future at the club and suggested it was a sign he was leaving.
The former Manchester United and England defender told Sky Sports: ‘Every other England player that was part of the Euros has been involved this weekend. Harry Kane would be here today if there was no doubt over his future.
‘I thought this meant he was gone, I did. The most prominent player not visible in this stadium. To not see him here today was a surprise. That told me today that he was gone.
‘I might be completely wrong I’ll be delighted to see him here playing for Tottenham. Harry Kane – he comes back late, he’s in isolation, he’s not here today – something is going on, something has happened.’
New Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo and Manchester City manager Guardiola both refused to be drawn on Kane’s future after Sunday’s clash in north London.
‘We are very lucky to have him,’ Nuno said after his first match in charge of the club.
Asked whether Kane would feature in their next Premier League fixture against Wolves this weekend, Nuno added: ‘Harry Kane is one of the best players in the world, honestly.
‘He has to get ready and help the team. We still have to go to Portugal [on Thursday for the Europa Conference League] then we think about Wolves.’
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