The speculation surrounding Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time record goalscorer, Harry Kane, isn’t going away.
From well before the final whistle of last season, the chatter about the Spurs striker centred on whether he would force a move elsewhere or if chairman, Daniel Levy, could once again hold firm in any negotiations.
With only 12 months left on his current deal, Kane could, if he so wished, dig his heels in and leave the north Londoners for nothing at the end of the forthcoming campaign.
Given that it’s believed that Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, have already made significant strides in the transfer market to try and acquire Kane, Levy is playing the biggest game of high-stakes poker in his life.
Does he sell a 29-year-old for a decent fee given his age and contract situation, or does he wait it out in the hope that the striker will put pen to paper on a new deal at White Hart Lane?
Kane’s former agent, Jon Smith, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, clearly doesn’t envy the task that Levy has before him.
‘Harry Kane? We used to represent him when he was much younger and when I was very front line active. I like him a lot, Harry’s family are good folk and I’ve also been very public that I’m very supportive of Daniel Levy as well,’ he wrote.
‘This could be an interesting moment for Daniel too. Does he cash in a big asset at a good price or does he leave the asset in situ to challenge for trophies in the new manager’s first year?
‘It’s a difficult decision as Harry is embedded in the Tottenham team but the difference in value between this year and next year when he will be 30 is going to potentially be sizeable as there won’t be much residual value for the potential purchasers.
‘And of course, there are some younger guns such as Ivan Toney out there. He’s got great feet and a terrific head on his shoulders, and he might even fill that large gap left by a potential Kane exit.’
If Levy continues to rebuff any approaches, then very simply it’s down to the player himself to put his cards on the table as to what he wants to happen.
Surely if the chairman has been told directly that Kane has no intention whatsoever of signing a new deal, he is better to let the centre-forward leave now and deal with the consequences of that decision further down the line.