Harry Kane has the biggest summer of his career coming up. The striker has become Tottenham Hotspur and England’s all-time record goalscorer this year in what has been another remarkable season on a personal level.
The forward has scored 26 goals in all competitions, 24 of which have come in the Premier League. Only goalscoring machine Erling Haaland has outscored the three-time Golden Boot winner in the top flight this term, and Kane has done it during yet another chaotic campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs are facing a huge test to finish in the top four this year with far too many poor results and performances. Antonio Conte got sick of the trend and forced the club to sack him after a lengthy tirade aimed at the players and the board made his position untenable - but he spoke the truth.
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The Italian called out the culture at the club which has seen no domestic titles won in the last 15 years and now Kane must seek an exit away from this circus if he is to build a legacy in football away from personal accolades. If Conte’s departure hasn’t convinced him, the 6-1 humbling at Newcastle United last weekend has to be the last straw for the England captain to seek a move from north London to a club where he can win titles on a regular basis or at least to a team that is heading in the right direction.
Interim head coach Cristian Stellini was let go and Ryan Mason is back in the dugout for another caretaker spell, and he got his team to salvage a point against Manchester United at home on Thursday night. Kane is being heavily linked with a move to United this summer and they are a much more promising destination than they have been in recent years.
The Red Devils have been courting Kane for years, dating back to 2015, and as the attacker finds himself at a point in his career where he needs a new challenge to help him win silverware, United are in need of a world-class centre-forward.
United boss Erik ten Hag has enjoyed a successful first year in English football, delivering a Carabao Cup title and recently guiding his side to the FA Cup final where they will meet rivals Manchester City in June. The Red Devils are also six points ahead of Spurs in the race for the top four with two games in hand, and right now you’d have to favour Champions League football being played at Old Trafford next term rather than at Tottenham’s state-of-the-art venue.
The Dutch coach is overseeing a huge transformation at United and while last summer saw him putting the foundations in place for his project, this time around he will be looking to add greater quality and bolster his squad depth, which is needed if they are to challenge for the league title.
Kane is of precisely the kind of quality that United need for them to enter the title race conversation. His prolific goalscoring nature is what Ten Hag’s team has lacked at times this season. Marcus Rashford has enjoyed his best goalscoring campaign for the Red Devils with 29 in all competitions, but it is clear that he is best utilised on the left side of the attack.
French striker Anthony Martial has only ever had one great season during his eight years at Old Trafford but he has also had to put up with a series of injuries. While there is talent there, Martial cannot be relied upon to play a significant role in an entire campaign. Then there is Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst, a very passionate and hard-working man. As a short-term option he has served his purpose at United but he is not the kind of player to help them claim their first Premier League title in over 10 years.
Kane, who turns 30 in July and is at the peak of his powers, is reaching the stage of his career where this is seen as the last chance for him to secure a huge long-term deal at a club. United are on the rise while Spurs are on the decline. Even when United have been through a rough patch in the past decade since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, they’ve still been able to win domestic and European trophies. Whereas Spurs’ highlight has been receiving a Champions League runners-up medal.
Spurs’ star man has been linked with European clubs such as Bayern Munich in the past but he will be determined to stay in England to surpass Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record. He will want his legacy in the top flight to match the Geordie legend with at least one league title. Kane could surpass his record, but without a Premier League crown many would view him as the inferior player, just as many Argentina fans saw Lionel Messi against Diego Maradona before the former won the World Cup in 2022.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is going to try to rebuff any approaches for his star asset in the upcoming transfer window, just like he did two years ago when Manchester City came calling for his services. Now the champions have Haaland, that avenue is closed. Chelsea could take an interest, with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino set to take over ahead of 2023-24, but given the club's heavy spending this term it remains to be seen if they can afford another deal above £100 million.
This could leave United with a clear path to the England captain. They will need to test Levy’s resolve with a nine-figure bid but Kane will have to kick up a fuss if he wants to close his Spurs chapter and head to somewhere where he can reach his ambitions and retire with silverware to his name.
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