Tottenham Hotspur clings on to their talismanic striker, Harry Kane, despite persistent overtures from Bayern Munich. Spurs’ chairman, Daniel Levy, has firmly set the player’s value at £100m.
Bayern Munich is preparing to offer an improved £94.6m package for Kane after Tottenham rejected their third and final £86m bid last Friday. The Bundesliga champions had imposed a bizarre midnight deadline, which Spurs dismissed out of hand, leaving Bayern red-faced.
Levy, undeterred by the pressure, flew to the United States and maintained his £100m valuation of Kane. Despite the embarrassment, Bayern has continued dialogues with Tottenham, inching closer to meeting the asking price. It seems probable, however, that Levy will remain resolute, keeping the onus on Bayern to secure their top target for manager Thomas Tuchel.
While Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic stands as a potential alternative, Tuchel remains convinced that securing England’s record goalscorer would significantly boost Bayern’s chances of regaining the Champions League title, last held by the team three years ago.
Kane, in the midst of this negotiation whirlwind, hopes to resolve his future before Tottenham’s Premier League season commences against Brentford next Sunday. Despite his uncertain future, Kane delivered a stellar performance in Tottenham’s 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. However, he did not participate in the pre-season friendly against Barcelona in Spain.
With Kane’s potential departure looming, Spurs have bolstered their attacking line by recruiting 19-year-old Argentinian forward Alejo Veliz from Rosario Central for approximately £12m plus add-ons. Veliz joins Richarlison and Israeli forward Manor Solomon, who joined from Fulham last month. Spurs have also expressed interest in 21-year-old Gent striker Guft Orban, who boasts an impressive record of 20 goals in 22 matches last season.
In addition to strengthening their attack, Spurs have secured the services of Dutch defender Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg. The deal could potentially reach £43m with add-ons, and the centre-back has signed a six-year contract.
When asked about Tottenham’s transfer plans, manager Ange Postecoglou admitted, “It’s fair to say our squad is too big at the moment, and there are guys who will want to explore opportunities elsewhere. I’m not involved in that. I think we’ll see some movement out in the coming weeks.”
Regarding Bayern’s supposed Friday deadline for Kane, the Australian-Greek manager, who has remained impressively composed amidst the speculation, added, “We know there’s one deadline: that’s the end of the transfer window. I certainly wouldn’t talk about contracted players at other clubs. I’m not at Bayern though, so they can do what they want.”