/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69300325/1318305499.0.jpg)
After months of speculation, we ... still do not know whether or not Harry Kane wants to stay at Tottenham Hotspur. We did, though, get two conflicting reports on Monday in less than an hour.
Let’s start with the first, a story that gained quite a bit of traction. Sky Sports reported that Kane told Tottenham he wants to leave at the end of the 2020-21 season and that the club is looking for his replacement. Sky Sports also reported that Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United have reached out to Kane’s representatives.
BREAKING
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 17, 2021
Harry Kane has told Tottenham he wants to leave this summer pic.twitter.com/u3PDDg5a2h
Less than an hour later, football.london reported that Kane has told Tottenham no such thing, and that there is otherwise no major update on this front.
If someone wants to sign him though the fact remains that it would cost huge money to prise him away. He has plenty of contract time left and there isn't one player to replace what he does for Spurs. They would need a number of new signings. Will someone make such a huge bid?
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) May 17, 2021
Speculation about Kane’s future has been around for much of Kane’s senior career at Spurs, though it always seemed more like a possibility and less like a certainty. Things seem more likely now than they ever have after a difficult season for Spurs — a big move to hire José Mourinho eventually did not pan out in the club’s favor and the team lost in another cup final. Additionally, next season will mark a second successive year without playing in the Champions League.
Sky’s report remains the only one claiming that Kane has both decided on his future and told the club about it, but Gold’s insistence that the situation has not changed means we are seemingly in the same place we were a few hours earlier. Is it possible? Naturally. Is it happening? We will have to wait and see.
Update, 8:40p GMT: The Telegraph is now also reporting that Kane told Tottenham he wants to leave in the offseason, an hour after Sky Sports reported the same. Like Sky Sports, The Telegraph reports that the Manchester clubs and Chelsea reached out to Kane’s representatives at CK66, an agency run by Kane’s brother Charlie.
Per The Telegraph, Kane discussed a possible exit with chairman Daniel Levy last year and struck a deal where he would give the team one more season to win a trophy. With Tottenham ending this season without silverware, the report suggests Kane is expecting Levy to comply, and that he shared his desire to leave in the past month.
The Telegraph is also reporting that Levy remains reluctant to sell, and especially to an English club. The chairman also reportedly values Kane at £150 million. Additionally, Kane would like an answer before the European Championship begins June 11.
The possibility of Kane leaving has existed for some time, though today’s reports from Sky Sports and The Telegraph mark the first indications that Kane has made his choice and that Spurs know it. The recent reports, even with the specifics from The Telegraph, do not stray too far from what we already know — Kane is unhappy but he will be an expensive signing to make. The second point will be the big thing to watch this offseason — is a club of Kane’s liking willing to meet Spurs’ asking price, even if it is negotiated down?