The Harry Kane transfer saga continues to rumble on, with Manchester City pushing ahead with its plans to land the England captain. Sources have told ESPN that the Citizens are willing to break the British transfer record for the second time this year to acquire the services of Kane from the Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester City's pursuit of Kane has intensified after losing their opening league match against Tottenham on Sunday. After drawing a blank in their Community Shield loss to Leicester City, the Citizens failed to score yet again against Tottenham despite dominating possession and creating several goal-scoring opportunities.
Citizens need Kane's ruthlessness in front of the goal
With Sergio Aguero's departure this past offseason, the club is missing a clinical finisher upfront. Kane fits the bill for manager Pep Guardiola, but the question now is: how much is City willing to spend to grab the English striker away from Tottenham?
According to reports, the Spurs are holding out for a $207.3 million fee for Kane, given that he still has three years left in his contract with Tottenham. Manchester City isn't willing to spend such a huge amount for Kane, but sources have told ESPN that it would be willing to shatter the British transfer record they set just this summer.
Manchester City showed its financial power earlier this month by signing Jack Grealish in a blockbuster $138 million deal with Aston Villa. On Sunday, the 25-year-old played the entire match against Tottenham but was left disappointed as City slumped to its first opening weekend loss in 10 years.
Guardiola wants Kane to partner Grealish in the City lineup to form an English backbone for their attack. In the Premier League, Kane was a vital cog in the Spurs attack last season, scoring 23 goals and dishing out 14 assists in 35 games played. Kane also came close to lifting the Euro 2020 title for England but lost in a dramatic penalty shootout in the finals to Italy.
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Tottenham won't budge in Kane transfer saga
Since that gut-wrenching loss, Kane hasn't played, returning late and refusing to train with Tottenham to force his move to Manchester City. But the Spurs have not budged, holding their ground in this transfer saga with the City.
They named Kane to their 25-man Europa Conference league squad after leaving him out of the lineup in their 1-0 win against the City. He could make his first appearance of the season for Tottenham in the Europa League against Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal on Thursday.
However, Sunday's victory against the City showed that Tottenham can still compete with the big clubs even without Kane. Leading Tottenham in that contest was Son Heung-Min, who scored the winner in the 55th minute. The Spurs have signed Cristian Romero, Pierluigi Gollini, and Bryan Gil, but they will need more signings to cushion the blow of Kane's impending departure.
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