Harry Kane gave a lap of honor to Tottenham Hotspur supporters after his team was done with Aston Villa on last week on their last home game. He waved to the thousands of supporters who have been absent from the stadium for more than a year. The wave of his hand then became huge discussion. Some interprets Kane’s gesture as a farewell.
This is following the issue of the player’s transfer which has been sticking out in recent days. Sky Sports reports that Kane has asked Tottenham to sell him in the transfer market. Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United have reportedly approached the 27-year-old forward. On May 20, the Spurs icon admitted he was uncertain about his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He loves The Lilywhites, but the level and achievements of the club so far have not matched his ambitions.
“I want to play in the biggest games, the biggest moments. This season I saw the Champions League, saw English teams doing extraordinary things there. I want to be involved in that kind of match, “said Kane to the Independent. Rumors about wanting to move Kane have been circulating in recent years. However, Spurs have always managed to defend the England international striker. Now, the player has publicly acknowledged his anger and asked the club to consider carefully.
However, Kane’s transfer in the next summer market looks like it will be difficult to materialize. Daniel Levy is reportedly reluctant to sell it. Even if the transfer request is granted, the price set by Spurs for Kane is estimated at around 150 million pounds. In recent seasons, the transfer price of star players has risen like crazy. From 2016/17 to 2019/20, Europe’s top five leagues have seen the transfer of players with transfer fees exceeding 100 million euros. Paris Saint-Germain broke the record for the most expensive transfer of 222 million euros for Neymar in 2017.
On the other hand, Spurs certainly do not want to lose to domestic rivals in terms of selling star players. In 2017/18, Liverpool received around 135 million euros for Philippe Coutinho. Meanwhile, Chelsea received 115 million euros thanks to the sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Harry Kane is the most valuable Spurs player in the transfer market. According to Transfermarkt’s calculations, the London-born forward has a market value of 120 million euros. In the transfer market, it is clear that he will not be released without an offer of more than 100 million.
The thing is, Europe’s top clubs are not in a good financial position to make up for such a large fee. Many clubs have suffered losses year after year and the pandemic is making matters worse. Among the big European clubs, only a handful are Harry Kane’s potential destinations. The two clubs with the largest revenue from the Deloitte Money League version, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are in debt which, when combined, amounts to more than 2 billion euros. Given their financial situation, a major transfer for Kane will be difficult to materialize.
There is little chance of moving to Italy. Serie A’s richest club, Juventus is not a potential bidder. The Old Lady did not hesitate to pour out large funds for one player. Since 2016/17, they have made Serie A’s most expensive transfers three times for Gonzalo Higuain, Matthijs de Ligt and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the financial situation of Italian clubs has worsened this season. Among clubs outside England, only Bayern Munich and PSG have the financial strength to sign him. However, a move to Germany is unlikely. This is due to Bayern’s recruitment policy which tends to avoid megatransferes and their careful management of finances.
Therefore, only PSG is left to become Kane’s potential destination abroad. Although Les Parisiens are reportedly not yet making an approach, the French club are eligible to sign the Spurs star. PSG are thought to have the financial capacity to complete a major transfer. Seeing their dominance in France in the past decade, they also fulfill the club requirement Kane wants, namely the ability to win a trophy. Although he has won various individual awards, he has never won a prestigious trophy while defending the Spurs. This champion’s inability is one of the main reasons Kane wants to leave.
“My goal as a player right now is to win team trophies. As great as this is [individual awards], I want to win the biggest award the team can ever win. We [Spurs] are not trying enough, “said the England captain. The presence of Mauricio Pochettino is also the main attraction for Kane. The former Spurs coach is a figure who helped him achieve his best game. In the Pochettino era, the player won the Premier League top scorer twice.
However, PSG is currently not short of attackers. In the center of attack, they still have Mauro Icardi and Moise Kean. Pochettino also sometimes accommodates Kylian Mbappe at the spearhead. If Pochettino wants to bring Kane, Icardi is likely to be “sacrificed” to give him a place. This season, the former Inter Milan striker has been plagued by injuries and has performed below expectations.
PSG is a reasonable option for Kane. The only obstacle is the player’s willingness to move from England. The Tottenham striker reportedly still wants to take part in the Premier League, although The Lilywhites are reluctant to sell him to domestic rivals. Three Premier League clubs, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are potential destinations for him. The three clubs are reportedly approaching the player.
Manchester United have been interested in signing Kane in recent seasons. Following the transfer saga started by the player, the summer transfer market is the right moment to embody the interest of the Red Devils. United still have Edinson Cavani. However, the Uruguay forward is not a long-term option. Another striker who used to occupy the spearhead post, Anthony Martial failed to live up to expectations in that position. Harry Kane can increase MU’s banging power for the next few years.
However, the problem is, is Manchester United willing to complete a big transfer at the beginning of next season? Currently, the Red Devils are reportedly looking to strengthen the defensive midfielder and center-back posts. The huge fee for Kane’s transfer certainly limits their maneuverability in the market.
Manchester United’s city rivals, Manchester City are also a potential destination for Harry Kane. The Citizens are financially capable. They will also be left by Sergio Aguero next season. Kane can be the right replacement for Aguero. Kane has the qualities for Pep Guardiola’s experiments. In 2020/21, the former Leicester striker performed brilliantly as a complete striker. Until Week 37 of the Premier League, the player has been the top scorer while also providing the most assists.
Harry Kane wants to move and Guardiola can hook him up to make Man City even more powerful. However, the willingness of The Citizens to spend large sums of money for the sake of one player is also uncertain. In April, Guardiola said that the club “impossible” to buy an expensive striker in the upcoming transfer market. In addition to the Manchester duo, the English club that is the winner of Kane is Chelsea. The player can complete the attack profile for the Blues. However, given the rivalry of Spurs and Chelsea, a move to Stamford Bridge is quite difficult to materialize.
The two clubs are reluctant to be directly involved in transfer matters. Daniel Levy doesn’t want one of Spurs’ best players to cross straight to Stamford Bridge. In 2011 ago, The Lilywhites repeatedly rejected Chelsea’s offer for Luka Modric. Tottenham only allowed the Croatian midfielder to move on when Real Madrid’s offer came, even though their offer was cheaper than the Blues. An attacker like Harry Kane is certainly in demand by big clubs. He is Tottenham’s third top scorer of all time. However, the financial problems faced by many clubs make it difficult to transfer it. If a club is capable, it doesn’t mean they are willing to take financial risks.
On the other hand, Kane hasn’t fully gotten the green light to move. Kane said he wanted to discuss the future “frankly” with Daniel Levy. Tottenham’s starting position clearly wanted him to stay. Meanwhile, the player wants to leave. If finally allowed to move, Kane’s bid for a transfer is likely to be tough, given the player’s valuation and the financial condition of European clubs. Attempts to exchange players to reduce the purchase price are also possible.
Kane eventually brushed off the one man club illusion and wanted to move on for his career. During this time, he was loyal to Tottenham and continued to show his best. This loyalty is in line with the increasing valuation. However, this wish was expressed when many big clubs were in financial trouble. Is it too late for Harry Kane to leave?
ASL
