Manchester City set to rekindle interest in Premier League striker this January

Manchester City are planning to rekindle their interest in Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane this January, according to ESPN.

The defending Premier League champions were heavily-linked with a swoop for the England captain earlier in the year, but were ultimately unable to match Spurs’ valuation of the player.

Since then, City have ploughed on without an out-an-out senior centre-forward, but it is understood that they are “willing” to test Tottenham’s resolve with another move for the 28-year-old in the hope that a significant offer could tempt Daniel Levy into parting company with his star asset.

What do the bookies think?

Whether it’s a hangover from the widespread speculation we saw over the summer, or a reaction to this new flurry of gossip, the bookies seem to think that City are still firmly in control of the race to sign Kane.

SkyBet currently price the Sky Blues at 13/2, with their closest competitors being Barcelona and Real Madrid way back on 16/1.

Behind the Spanish giants are PSG at a price of 20/1.

How likely are Man City to seal the deal?

It certainly won’t be easy, that much is for sure.

The main sticking point over the summer was the disparity between Levy’s valuation of Kane, believed to be somewhere in excess of £150 million, and City’s bid of around £100 million.

The hope from City’s perspective will be that the financial pressures of the pandemic will force the Spurs chief to reassess his stance on the matter, but it’s hard to see how his position will have altered so drastically in the space of a few months – especially given his reputation for stubbornness and the considerable length of time remaining on Kane’s current deal.

The other complicating factor will be the recent arrival of Antonio Conte. The Italian has only just rocked up in north London, and it’s hard to imagine he’d be too thrilled by the prospect of losing his best player just weeks later.

What are the fans saying?

The vast majority seem to be fairly against the idea, and a lot of them have one particular alternative in mind.

@JordanW91 tweeted: “Haaland cheaper & will be around a lot longer.”

@swazzzxd2019 tweeted: “For what? Unless we can get him on the cheap, which is not possible, we might as well look for a younger player for the amount of money we will offer for him.”

@malise tweeted: “Waste of time. Get Haaland.”

@lifeofmuyiwa tweeted: “I strongly believe Harry Kane's time has passed. Why not keep that money and go all out for Haaland in the summer?”