Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has suggested that he would be prepared to stay on in North London for the 2023-24 season in a bid to help the Lilywhites finally end their trophy drought.
Not since the 2007-08 EFL Cup have Spurs got their hands on a major piece of silverware, losing both the 2019 Champions League final and 2021 EFL Cup final since Kane's breakthrough.
With the Lilywhites now set to end the season without a trophy for the 15th year running, Kane - who will turn 30 this summer - is once again being tipped to depart to fulfil his silverware ambitions elsewhere.
The England captain is only contracted to Spurs until the end of next season, and all of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are expected to test Tottenham's resolve this summer.
Kane moved into second place in the all-time Premier League charts at the weekend, overtaking Wayne Rooney with a 209th top-flight goal - and his 26th of the season - to propel Ryan Mason's side to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
© Reuters
The sixth-placed Lilywhites can mathematically still qualify for the Champions League, but they sit six points behind Manchester United having played a game more, while Brighton & Hove Albion are only two points adrift of Spurs having played three fewer matches.
However, Kane has affirmed that he would not turn his nose up to Europa Conference League glory with Tottenham next season, hinting that he could be convinced to stay for at least another year.
"If we can come away from this season with European football, that's a small prize at the end of a tough season. We'll be fighting for that and fighting in the three games to try to pick up three wins," the Evening Standard quotes Kane as saying.
"Ultimately I like to play football games no matter what competition it is. That's what you deserve from where you finish in the season. You can't disrespect any competition that you play in.
"It's one of those, if you end up in the Conference League and win it, it's worth it. If you don't, then people probably look at it as an inconvenience. But when you've been at a club where we haven't won a trophy for 15 years, if we do end up in it, it could be an opportunity to try and put that to bed."
Saturday's narrow success over Palace was Spurs' first triumph since Mason took the reins for a second time, but the 31-year-old will likely make way for a new permanent head coach in the summer.
© Reuters
Tottenham are believed to have offered Kane a say in their managerial search amid strong links with ex-Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was initially expected to take over at Chelsea before pulling out of the race.
However, speaking separately to Sky Sports News, Kane brushed off speculation over Antonio Conte's possible successor, although he expects to speak with chairman Daniel Levy at the end of the season to discuss the head coach role.
"That's down to the club. If I end up speaking to the chairman towards the end of the season I'm sure he'll fill me in on what he's thinking, but ultimately we have three more games," the striker responded.
"We don't want to look too far ahead or get carried away. The club will make the best decision for everyone, the players, the fans, the club in general and we just have to wait to see what that is."
Despite Kane's uncertain contract situation, renowned hardball negotiator Levy will fight tooth and nail to keep Spurs' all-time top scorer at the club this summer and is reportedly not willing to sell to a Premier League rival.
Bayern and PSG could therefore be handed a boost in their respective pursuits, although Kane has confirmed that he is gunning for Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League record, currently sitting 51 strikes behind his compatriot's 260.
