Man Utd? Real Madrid? Where next for Tottenham hitman Harry Kane?
Harry Kane's brace against Leeds last weekend saw him break the 30-goal barrier for the second time in a Premier League season, becoming just the second player after Alan Shearer to achieve the feat. However, it wasn't enough to fire Tottenham to a top-seven finish, and so Spurs will now make do without European football next season.
With the season over, attention now turns to Kane's future. The England captain has just a year left to run on his current deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and there are no indications that he is willing to extend his stay in north London following another miserable Spurs campaign.
With the possibility that he might leave this summer, we take a look at a list of potential destinations for Kane in the off-season.
What might convince Harry Kane to remain in England is his pursuit of the Premier League all-time goal record. Sunday's brace moved him on to 213 league goals in his career, just 47 off Alan Shearer's record, and it would take a serious injury or a move away from England for Kane not to break that record.
As such, a move to Manchester United wouldn't be a surprise. Kane is believed to be Erik ten Hag's top striker target this summer, and for good reason. Marcus Rashford was the only United player to hit double figures for Premier League goals (17) this season, while striker Anthony Martial only struck six times. Ten Hag's side only scored 58 league goals in 2022/23, the second lowest return of those to finish in the top eight, so it's little wonder a striker is their top priority.
Tottenham may not be willing to do business with United, though a hefty offer for Kane would perhaps convince Spurs to the negotiation table. If the capital side do wish to avoid losing Kane on a free next summer, then Old Trafford is a viable destination, even one that wouldn't appease Spurs supporters, yet would be a deal that would boost Kane's chances of writing his name into the history books and see Tottenham bring in a hefty fee that would boost their resources for a much-needed rebuild.
Crossing the channel now, PSG may well be in the market for a big-name forward this summer with a certain Lionel Messi having now left the club following Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Clermont Foot. The Argentine sensation has been superb for the Parisian powerhouse, scoring 16 and providing an additional 16 assists, yet a return to Barcelona has been mooted, as has a money-spinning switch to Saudi Arabia.
With that in mind, PSG would want to find the right name to lead the charge next term and increase their chances of Champions League success. Considering his goal return in a Tottenham side that finished eighth and looked ponderous in the final third on occasion, Kane should pile in the goals for the French side.
In addition, given PSG's dominance of French football, he'd quickly be guaranteed winners' medals, which has so often been used as a stick with which to beat the Spurs star. That being said, Kane seems the type of striker who'd rather really test himself instead of taking the easy route out, so that could ultimately rule PSG put of the running.
🤯 Harry Kane overperformed his xG by 8.0 in the Premier League last season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 3, 2023
📝 @BenMcAleer1 runs through the Highest xG XI 👇
Following confirmation that Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid this summer, that opens up space for a world class hitman to take the Frenchman's spot at the Bernabeu. Since Cristiano Ronaldo's 2018 exit for Juventus, Benzema has been a revelation for Los Blancos. Even in an injury-hit campaign, the 35-year-old has still scored 18 goals and provided three assists in La Liga this season.
Yet at his age, Real Madrid's willingness to allow Benzema to leave shouldn't come as a surprise. The issue now is how do they replace the former France international. Compatriot Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly their number one target, but the route from London to Madrid is a well-trodden one. Los Blancos have previously raided Spurs for their best performing players, taking Luka Modric and Gareth Bale off their hands in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Another move for a Spurs star wouldn't go amiss, especially with flying wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo cutting in from the left and right to maximise the space Kane would ultimately vacate. That being said, Real Madrid would need to spend big to sign the 29-year-old this summer, even with one year left to run on his current deal at Spurs, and with Los Blancos prioritising Jude Bellingham, it may not be possible to land Kane.
Bayern Munich's best effort to replace Robert Lewandowski was to sign Sadio Mane from Liverpool, and that failed experiment could see the Bundesliga champions cut their losses on the 31-year-old this summer. As such, there was an overreliance on experienced pair Eric Choupo-Moting and Thomas Muller to shoulder the goalscoring burden, yet the duo managed just 17 league goals between them this season.
Bayern scored more league goals (92) than any other Bundesliga side this season, yet they still haven't replaced Lewandowski, which should be of the utmost importance this summer. The were fortunate to even win the Bundesliga following Jamal Musiala's late winner against FC Koeln, coupled with Borussia Dortmund's slip up at home against Mainz, and it's unlikely they'll allow such a close title race again next term.
While the German side are believed to be plotting a big-money move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, they'd be better off putting that money towards signing Kane, especially with Bayern already set to strengthen in midfield with the free capture of Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig. Given Bayern's dominance of the Bundesliga, Kane would score for fun in Germany, and a move to Thomas Tuchel's side would boost the striker and FC Hollywood's chances of Champions League glory, though reports of their interest in Dusan Vlahovic suggests the German side are pursuing other targets.
Now, this is a move that is unlikely to happen this summer. Even with Tottenham not really knowing what they are doing off the field, Daniel Levy is wise enough to not sell Harry Kane to Chelsea. However, if Kane does remain at Spurs beyond the summer and has his pick of the clubs in 12 months' time, Chelsea could prove a viable destination for the frontman.
The Blues confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino on Monday, and it was the Argentine who gave Kane his big break back in 2014. Chelsea are unlikely to struggle next season in the same way they did in 2022/23 with Pochettino at the helm, and a successful campaign could well convince Kane to stay in London.
It is a move that wouldn't go down well with supporters, but would see Kane and Pochettino link up once more. Given Chelsea's well-documented goal woes, they could do a lot worse than sign arguably the Premier League's greatest ever striker, and do so on a free if Spurs block any potential summer exit.
