Tottenham have rejected Bayern Munich’s latest bid for Harry Kane, leaving the German champions to decide whether to continue their pursuit of the striker.
Bayern’s third offer for the England captain was worth £86m and was not enough to convince Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, to sell. They must either improve their bid for Kane, whose contract expires next summer, or accept defeat in their attempts to negotiate with Levy.
Thomas Tuchel wants to sign a striker capable of filling the hole left by Robert Lewandowski joining Barcelona last summer. Bayern had indicated their third for Kane was their final offer but they will hold internal talks over whether to try again. Kane wants clarity over the situation before Spurs open the season by facing Brentford on Sunday.
Spurs still hope to keep Kane and offered their record goalscorer a highly lucrative deal in an attempt to convince him to stay. Yet there have been no indications that the 30-year-old wants to sign a contract extension and Spurs run the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer.
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Bayern’s interest has offered Levy a chance to cash in on Kane and prevent the England captain from joining another Premier League club for nothing. Manchester United were interested in Kane before signing Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta.
Kane faces a season without European football if he stays at Spurs. However there is a chance for a fresh start under the new head coach, Ange Postecoglou. Spurs are close to buying the Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg and the Argentinian striker Alejo Véliz from Rosario Central. They have signed James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips and Guglielmo Vicario. – Guardian