Harry Kane has confirmed he will not be leaving Tottenham before the end of the transfer window next week.
The England captain has been the subject of at least one formal bid from Manchester City and missed Spurs’ opening two matches of the season following a late return to pre-season.
Having reportedly skipped training – a story he denied and blamed on a miscommunication over the length of his holiday – Kane was said to be under the impression he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Daniel Levy allowing him to move.
However, after being introduced off the bench during the 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux, he was given a rapturous reception from the travelling Spurs fans.
“It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I’ve had in the last few weeks,” Kane wrote on Twitter.
“I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100 per cent focused on helping the team achieve success #COYS [Come on You Spurs].”
How Kane’s move collapsed
Sergio Aguero’s departure meant City were in the market for a new forward and Pep Guardiola had spoken openly about his admiration of Kane.
Nonetheless, Guardiola admitted in early August that he believed the deal was “finished”.
“If [Tottenham] are open to negotiate, I think not just Man City but many clubs in the world want to try to sign him,” he said. “We are not an exception – but it depends on Tottenham.”
Levy demanded a fee in the region of £150m, well north of the initial £80m plus add-ons initially proffered.
Tottenham held the cards too, with Kane’s representatives failing to request a release clause in the six-year-deal he signed in 2018.
That meant City had no choice but to meet the asking price if they were to sign the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner. Instead, his age (Kane turned 28 in July) and his injury history (he has had six separate spells out with ankle problems since 2016-17) made them reluctant.
Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale all got their way in the end but this time, Levy has won the battle.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/38rkI5L
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