Harry Kane faces war with Daniel Levy as Tottenham refuse to sell

Harry Kane is facing the prospect of having to go to war with Daniel Levy to force through a summer move, with the Tottenham chairman adamant the England captain will not be sold.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola would like to bolster his squad with Kane, a player he has long admired, and Spurs are braced for the Premier League champions to make a move. Kane would also consider Manchester United and Chelsea as his next destination.

Spurs have been angered by the timing of Kane making it clear he wants a transfer in the next window, given it came on the eve of their penultimate match of the season and with European qualification still in the balance.

Levy, however, has privately said he is unwilling to sell and has no intention of strengthening a Premier League rival despite Kane believing there is a gentleman’s agreement that he can go.

Indeed, it is understood that, prior to Kane’s wishes being made public, Levy has been firmer in his position not to part with the club’s talisman despite the club suffering huge financial losses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That stance will put the ball back in Kane’s court in his attempt to fulfil his ambitions and win the biggest trophies in football.

City are viewed as the most likely to make a move at this very early stage. They were interested in Kane, 27, a year ago and there was hope of a move being thrashed out, but the biggest obstacle ended up being Lionel Messi trying to release himself from Barcelona. Focus in the market shifted to Messi and it went quiet.

Guardiola has sealed the title but has done it without a No 9 and Kane would be an ideal player to strengthen City’s squad when they are on top.

Of the other possible destinations, United have Champions League football which Kane will miss out on next season, while Chelsea appear to be willing to put rivalry with Spurs to one side for a player like Kane. The two London clubs rarely do business together.

Clubs looking to sign Kane will hope that a bid of more than £100m will pile the pressure on Levy to sell for the good of his club, who have felt the financial impact of coronavirus more than most after moving into a new stadium the season before the pandemic. Spurs believe Kane’s market value is closer to £150million.

Levy feared losses of £200million from football closing its doors to fans and took out a taxpayer-backed loan from the Government to the tune of £175m.

The loan from the Covid Corporate Financing Facility came with a low interest rate of 0.5 per cent.

Spurs have also had history with transfer sagas. Luka Modric put in a transfer request in 2011 when Chelsea were interested in him, before eventually moving to Real Madrid a year later.

Kane will feel the reaction of supporters when he starts for Spurs against Aston Villa tonight (Weds) with fans returning through the turnstiles for the final two games of the season as coronavirus safety measures are relaxed. Ryan Mason, his close friend and interim head coach, emphasised how important the striker is to the club.

“He has been exceptional for the football club and I am sure he will be,” Mason said. “He is great for our academy because they have a role model to look up to. We’ve got some great players in the academy who hopefully are going to make that step and play in the first team in the coming years. So that is important.

“With footballers, I think that every individual is different. That’s the biggest thing for me, but what I will say is that when you’re a player and you’re paid to represent a football club and you’re signed for that football club, the focus is on that football club. As professionals, we know that, we have to respect that.”