Manchester City are ready to pay €150m (£127m) for Harry Kane if they get an indication from Tottenham that a deal can be done.
Spurs have insisted Kane is not for sale despite the striker’s desire to leave for City and they have turned down a £100m offer from the Premier League champions. It is thought £150m could tempt Tottenham’s chairman, Daniel Levy, to sell but the bid being readied by City falls short of that.
City are not giving up and are waiting to see how the situation unfolds. Kane will return to group training with Tottenham on Friday provided his Covid test on Thursday is negative.
Pep Guardiola confirmed last Friday that City want to bring in Kane in a move that would smash the British transfer record they set last week by signing Jack Grealish for £100m. “If Tottenham don’t want to negotiate, it’s finished,” the manager said. “If they are open to negotiate, I think not just Man City but many clubs in the world want to try to sign him.”
Kane is trying to force through a move to City and believes he has a gentleman’s agreement with Levy that would allow him to move. Levy’s interpretation of events is different and he does not want to sell the club’s most important player, who has three years on his contract.
Spurs had told Kane to report for pre-season training on Monday of last week after giving him a three-week post-Euro 2020 holiday but the England captain chose to remain on holiday in the Bahamas and Florida, angering the club to the point where they considered whether to fine him.
Kane did report over the weekend but has had to isolate for five days having visited amber-list travel destinations. He underwent a test to release on Thursday but the result could not be turned around in time for him to work with his teammates. Kane released a statement last Friday in which he said he had never refused to train at his boyhood club and suggested he was returning “as planned” on Saturday.
Nuno Espírito Santo has indicated he could name Kane in Tottenham’s squad for the opening league game on Sunday against City.
City would listen to offers for Gabriel Jesus, it is understood, should they sign Kane. But if he or another striker is not acquired then the Brazilian will stay. There are not currently any suitors for Jesus.
