Door may be closing on City with Levy determined to keep Kane
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is determined not to be forced into selling Harry Kane to Manchester City during the final week of the transfer window.
City are expected to make one more effort to sign Kane before the window shuts at 11pm next Tuesday, but Levy will not drop his valuation or bow to any pressure to sell him
Sources believe Levy could even refuse a bid that gets close to £150 million for Kane, despite the figure previously being quoted as his asking price, with little time for Spurs to find a replacement. Should
City fail to change Levy’s mind or make an offer that is too good to turn down, the Premier League champions may have to consider alternatives if they want to add a new striker to their squad, with Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic a contender.
Kane, however, remains their top target, despite having returned to training and having made his first appearance, as a substitute, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Kane appeared to reaffirm his full commitment to Spurs, while he is at the club, by posting a message on Twitter
that read “brilliant battling win” after Sunday’s 1-0 victory. With three years remaining on the sixyear deal he signed in 2018, Kane will be in a better position to try to leave Tottenham next summer if he does not move to City this year.
But there are fears that City could switch their attention to Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland next summer and that, with Kane turning 29, he could have missed out on his big move.
Levy has faced criticism from outside Tottenham for refusing to negotiate over Kane, but City are yet
to have got anywhere near to testing his resolve, and the nature of a socalled gentlemen’s agreement between the pair has been disputed.
Tottenham have also accelerated talks over trying to take Adama Traore on loan for the rest of the season, with a view to a permanent move worth up to £40million.
New Spurs head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is a huge fan of Traore and wants the player to join him in north London.
Wolves value Traore at £40million, but, with the Spain international yet to extend his contract that has two years to run, the club may be forced to consider a loan deal that includes an obligation to buy.
Another option would be for Spurs to stagger payments for Traore, spending only a small fee this summer, as Liverpool did for Diogo Jota last year.
Nuno believes Traore would give his squad greater adaptability, with his ability to play at either right wing-back or on either wing higher up the pitch.
Japhet Tanganga has impressed at right-back in Tottenham’s first two matches, which they have won, with Lucas Moura starting on the right of a front three.
It is understood that an initial suggestion from Tottenham of a £5million loan fee plus an option for a permanent deal for Traore was rejected by Wolves, but that talks are continuing.
Spurs are still trying to find a buyer for Tanguy Ndombele, with Bayern Munich the only club to show a realistic interest.
Tottenham are also looking to sell Serge Aurier, who would be pushed further down the pecking order by the arrival of Traore.