City prepare a final bid to sign Kane after striker makes 18-minute appearance

Manchester City are poised for a final move to try to sign Harry Kane this week, after the Tottenham Hotspur forward made his first appearance of the season yesterday.

Kane was introduced as a late substitute in Tottenham’s 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with his future remaining uncertain ahead of the transfer deadline a week tomorrow.

City are set to table another bid for the England international this week, though Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is determined to avoid selling him. Kane was given a warm reception by the travelling supporters, who chanted “he’s one of our own” before he appeared as a 72ndminute substitute. He missed the matches against City and Pacos de Ferreira and head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was unable to offer any guarantees that Kane would face the Portuguese club in the Europa Conference League play-off second leg. “Harry helped the team. We are talking about one of the best players in the world and we are very lucky to have him,” Nuno said.

“It’s too soon to know if he will be involved on Thursday. He is getting back to fitness and still has to improve. You could see the way he helped the team in terms of possession and the fine lines.”

Spurs maintained their perfect start to the league season with a second successive win, after Dele Alli’s penalty, his first goal for them since March 2020. Tottenham are targeting signings before the deadline, with Wolves winger Adama Traore understood to be on Nuno’s list.

Arsenal avoided the big hitters in the Women’s Champions League second-round draw, but Manchester City face a high-profile meeting with Real Madrid.

Relative newcomers to the women’s game, Real Madrid do not yet pose the same threat in Europe as they do in men’s football, and both English clubs will be favourites to progress through their two-leg ties, albeit Real will be no pushovers.

Arsenal, who were unseeded for the draw, knew they could only face one of four sides (five teams were seeded, but they could not meet City) and they have been pitted against by far the least dangerous of that quartet in Slavia Prague, whom they thrashed 13-2 on aggregate in 2019.

The alternatives were seven-time champions Lyon, five-time finalists Wolfsburg or new Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall’s former club, Rosengard, who reached last year’s quarter-finals.

Lyon are Europe’s most successful and best-funded women’s side, but they are entering at this early stage of the competition this term after finishing second to Paris St-germain in last season’s French top flight.

Only with victory in this second round can teams join the group stage, where clubs including defending champions Barcelona and last year’s beaten finalists, Chelsea, will join the competition.

The Women’s Champions League has never previously had this groupstage format.

The qualification route was split into a “league path” for non-domestic champions and a “champions path” for the sides who won their leagues last season.

Five clubs will go through from the league path, plus seven from the champions path, to join the four already through, in the 16-team group stage, which will be broadcast live on streaming platform DAZN.

The new English league season begins on the weekend of Sept 3-5.

League path, second-round draw Levante v Lyon, Arsenal v Slavia Prague, Real Madrid v Manchester City, Wolfsburg v Bordeaux, Rosengard v Hoffenheim.

Champions path Glasgow City v Servette FC Chenois, Juventus v Vllaznia, FC Twente v Benfica.

First legs to be played on Aug 31/Sept 1; second legs to be played Sept 8-9.