Tottenham striker Harry Kane has confirmed he will not be moving to Manchester City. The England captain has been a key target for Pep Guardiola and City and was expected to move to the Etihad Stadium in a big money transfer.
But the 28-year-old has taken to Twitter to break the news that he is staying put in North London.
“It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I’ve had in the last few weeks,” Kane tweeted.
“I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success. #COYS”
It’s not yet known what is responsible for this decision as the forward had expressed his desire to leave the club in search of silverware. The Etihad Stadium was seen as the ideal destination.
The Blues have become a winning machine with Guardiola at the helm. It’s now almost a guarantee that the club will win at least a trophy every season. So for a player like Kane, this would have been an ideal move. Yet, this announcement could mean the end of the saga.
There could be different reasons for this latest development. With a new manager in charge and several signings made to strengthen the side, the Englishman may be convinced the team is now strong enough to finally challenge for trophies.
Back-to-back wins at the beginning of the season including beating City 1-0 show Tottenham have a strong team going into the new campaign. That the team could hold it’s own against arguably the best team in the land made a huge statement.
Another reason could be that he does not want to ruin his legacy at the club. He is currently king at Tottenham and well loved by the fans. As can be seen in the statement, he is concerned about them.
Thirdly, it could also be that City have made it clear they will not meet Tottenham’s £150m valuation. With Daniel Levy holding out for the fee, the deal is now unlikely. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, the striker has moved to make the announcement to appease the club’s fans.
However, there’s still a possibility of agreeing to make the move next summer. As can be seen in the statement, he has not committed his long-term future to Tottenham. But whether City are interested in still securing his services next summer remains to be seen. He will be 29 by then.
What do you think could be responsible for the U-turn?