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Report: Kane to push for exit if Spurs miss out on Champions League

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Harry Kane will demand a transfer from Tottenham Hotspur if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, sources told The Athletic's Oliver Kay and Jack Pitt-Brooke.

But a move may not be possible. Spurs reportedly have no intention of selling Kane, who still has three years remaining on his contract. Even if club chairman Daniel Levy considered a sale, his asking price - reportedly well above the £100-million mark - may prove too steep in a depressed market.

Manchester City and Manchester United apparently see Kane as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, whose agent, Mino Raiola, has already started fielding offers. But for now, the two Premier League giants remain Kane's most likely destinations if he leaves Spurs.

Kane prefers to stay in England but would consider a move abroad, according to Kay and Pitt-Brooke. That would leave open the possibility of a reunion with former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain.

It's unclear how much clubs would be willing to pay for Kane, who, despite entering his prime, is 28 in the summer and coming off multiple ankle injuries. The coronavirus pandemic has cost clubs hundreds of millions of dollars, and outfits like Real Madrid and Barcelona may find more value in signing the 20-year-old Haaland or 22-year-old PSG star Kylian Mbappe.

What is clear is Kane's desire to win trophies. The English international has gone seven years without silverware at Tottenham, and while the League Cup final later in April represents a rare opportunity to lift a trophy, it's apparently not one of his priorities.

Missing out on the Champions League for a second straight season would further damage Tottenham's financial position, especially with the club's debts totaling £1.77 billion.

Despite his apparent feelings of discontent, Kane reportedly has good working relationships with Levy and manager Jose Mourinho, who has publicly praised Kane's commitment on several occasions.

"You just need his team - England or Tottenham - to go with him to the next level. What's the next level? Titles," Mourinho said in November 2019.

"I think he needs to win with us, with England. He needs to win something to highlight the quality that he has as a player, the goals he scores, what he brings to the team."

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