Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has reportedly informed his friends that he will not sign a new contract with the North London club.
The England captain's future has been a major talking point for the past couple of years since he tried and failed to push through an exit in the summer of 2021.
Manchester City were unable to twist Daniel Levy's arm, with the Spurs chairman refusing to budge on his £150m asking price, despite claims of a gentlemen's agreement between Levy and Kane.
However, Kane could now depart as a free agent at the end of next season, and he will turn 30 this summer without having won a major trophy for Tottenham.
The Lilywhites' continued lack of silverware and off-field turmoil has only strengthened claims that Kane could be on the move this summer, as Bayern Munich and Manchester United keep a close eye on developments.
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Tottenham will do everything in their power to keep Kane at the club beyond the summer of 2024, but according to Football Insider, he has informed those closest to him that he will not be putting pen to paper.
Contract talks with Kane have only reached preliminary stages as the 29-year-old focuses on the end to the season with Tottenham, and it has been claimed that Spurs are prepared to block summer offers for the marksman and continue negotiations into next season.
However, such an approach would leave them vulnerable to losing Kane for nothing, and it remains to be seen if Levy will be prepared to take that sizeable risk.
While Man United are considered the frontrunners to prise Kane away from Tottenham this summer, Spurs would be reluctant to sell to a direct rival, and Levy even more so.
The Tottenham chief reportedly still regrets allowing Kyle Walker to join Manchester City in 2017, hence he has vowed not to let any star names join the two Manchester clubs in future.
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Despite Levy's stance, Man United are said to be readying their opening offer of around £80m for the England captain, having been given the green light by Erik ten Hag to launch their pursuit.
Kane scored his 205th Premier League goal in Spurs' 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday evening - taking him to within 55 of Alan Shearer's all-time record of 260 - and he recently hinted that he would stay in the English top flight to try to surpass his compatriot.
After becoming England's all-time highest goalscorer, Kane was asked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak if he was gunning for Shearer's Premier League record, to which he responded: "Yeah it's definitely there. I'm getting closer, so it's for sure something I want to achieve, but I try not to look too far ahead in football.
"A lot can change in a short period of time, but I'm feeling fit – I'm 29 – so hopefully got plenty of years left. For sure, it'd be something I'd love to do."
Kane now boasts 272 goals and 63 assists from 426 games for Tottenham, who leapfrogged Manchester United back into the top four on goal difference at Goodison Park, but the Red Devils have two games in hand.
Ben Knapton
