Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Harry Kane to Chelsea clarified after trusted source reveals Antonio Conte role, as Tottenham plan labelled ‘work in progress’

Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho

Speculation over a shock Harry Kane swap with Chelsea has been cleared up by Fabrizio Romano, who detailed what Tottenham’s true intentions are. 

Harry Kane came the closest he’s ever been to leaving Tottenham for good in the summer of 2021. Man City lodged multiple bids over the £100m mark, but Daniel Levy was in no mood to sell his most prized asset.

One year on and both Man City and Spurs have benefitted from the deal not being made.

City only had to fork out a transfer fee of around £51m upon activating Erling Haaland’s release clause. The Norwegian has exploded out of the gate in England and is seven years younger than Kane.

Tottenham, meanwhile, were able to retain their talismanic captain who overcame a slow start to help fire Spurs to fourth spot.

Antonio Conte is transforming Spurs into a well-oiled machine and Kane is an integral part of his plans.

However, with Kane now entering the final two years of his contract, rumours have begun to emerge regarding exits to clubs other than City.

Indeed, Bayern Munich are known to be strong admirers of Kane. What’s more, they recently sold Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona and have put their search for his replacement on hold until 2023.

Links to Chelsea have also pervaded the media. Talk of an ambitious swap deal involving Kane and Romelu Lukaku has been cited.

Now, writing for Caught Offside, trusted transfer specialist, Fabrizio Romano, has cleared the fog on Kane’s future.

Harry Kane situation “completely different” to 2021

Romano revealed that unlike in 2021, Kane now harbours no desire to leave.

Two figures in particular have changed the direction in north London and Kane is more than happy to be on board.

What’s more, despite an agreement over a contract extension not being close, Romano stressed a new agreement is a “work in progress”.

“A year ago, Kane wanted to leave,” said Romano. “But now he’s happy at Tottenham under Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratic.

“The Italians have changed the feeling under the club, so now Kane is in no rush to leave the club. The situation is completely different from a year ago.

“There’s still no agreement on a new contract, but it’s not a dangerous situation. Let’s see how it progresses in the next few months.

“It’s a work in progress, as is normal when you’re talking about a contract for a top player.”

Chelsea, Bayern moves dismissed

Regarding the links to Chelsea and Bayern Munich specifically, Romano stressed it’s nothing more than rumour.

Explaining why an audacious Chelsea swap has even been touted, Romano suggested the speculation stems from Conte’s previous work with Lukaku at Inter Milan.

The Belgium international was near-unstoppable when playing for Conte at the San Siro. That prompted Chelsea to fork out £97.5m to bring him back to England, though that move already looks like a mistake.

Lukaku is currently back at Inter on a season-long loan. Widespread reports have stated talks are already underway over extending the loan by a further 12 months.

“There have been rumours involving Chelsea and a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku,” continued Romano.

“As we know Lukaku was fantastic under Conte at Inter. But as of now there is absolutely nothing to this story. It’s just a rumour.

“There have also been many rumours about Bayern. It’s true that in 2023 that they will go for a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski.

“Kane is really appreciated by Bayern, but there have never been any conversations with Tottenham.

“At the moment, they are just fans of the player, but nothing is going on in terms of negotiations.

“The speculation is normal. But for the moment the main thing is that Kane is not desperate to leave, and Tottenham want to extend his contract.”