Harry Kane is still the centre of transfer speculation after Tottenham Hotspur turned down a third bid from German champions Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga giants look set to come back with another bid after the latest £86m was rejected, even though they have now gone past their own deadline day. It is clear they are intent on getting their man but will have to go close to £100m that the London club is likely to be holding out for.
Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy is digging his heels in, and perhaps rightly so. Why give up your prize asset, so close to the start of the season? He may have to give in, though, as this transfer saga rumbles on. Harry Kane sees his current contract run out next summer and therefore becomes a free agent. The offers he will likely receive then will be matched and even surpassed by other clubs. He will have the choice of many leading clubs, such is his prolific scoring record.
If Tottenham does hang on to him this season, it could be the springboard they need to get back into the Champions League places, and the riches that brings will go some way to compensate for not selling now. Making the path easier for Harry Kane to leave.
What Bayern has now, though, is a case of having to save face. Having gone in three times already and come up short, they will not want to back down and seem weak in the chase. They see the capture of the all-time England goal scorer as a huge coup, as well as enhancing their own chances of success in European competition.
The striker’s own ambition has to come into play as well. He has not won any silverware in his time at Spurs. Staying loyal is one thing, but when careers end, many top players are judged by the accolades they have, and medals won. Yes. He has the Tottenham scoring record and will keep pushing his national tally up. Is this enough though, for a player that will soon be on the downslope in his playing time?
Replacing Harry Kane, should he go, will not be easy. Especially as the longer this drags on, the window closes. New Spurs manager Ange Postegoglou will be no doubt pushing for a resolution one way or the other as he prepares his side for the opening weekend and the short trip to Brentford.
It would be a fair assumption to make that Bayern come in with their biggest bid yet before the weekend. A last-ditch attempt to gain his signature could see a huge £115m get tabled. That could finally be enough to get Levy to shake hands. One thing is for sure; this has been the most talked about transfer saga since…Declan Rice to Arsenal.
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