Harry Kane finally reported back to Tottenham’s training ground on Saturday — five days later than expected.
The England captain was supposed to undergo Covid tests on Monday following a holiday in the Caribbean.
But in what is widely perceived at Spurs to be a bid to force through a move to Manchester City, despite the player’s claims to the contrary, he eventually clocked in yesterday and will now quarantine at Spurs Lodge and train on his own for five days.
Spurs have told City that it’ll cost around £160million for them to sign Kane but City don’t want to go that high.
Pep Guardiola was quite open about his hoes of signing the striker when asked about him on Friday, saying: “If they are open to negotiate, I think not just Man City but many clubs in the world want to try to sign him – we are not an exception – but it depends on Tottenham.”
Kane has been prolific for a number of years but is yet to win any silverware during his career.
Tottenham now appear to be in a rebuild phase under Nuno Espirito Santo, who was appointed in the summer.
Kane was part of a team, led by Mauricio Pochettino, who fell short in two titles races and lost in successive FA Cup semi-finals.
He also played in their Champions League final loss back in 2019.
The 28-year-old has defended his absence this week in a statement on Instagram, insisting his delayed arrival was planned.
He wrote: “It’s almost 10 years since I made my Spurs debut. For every one of those years, you – the fans – have shown me total love and support.
“That’s why it hurts to read some of the comments this week, questioning my professionalism.
“While I won’t go into the specifics of the situation, I want to clarify that I would never, and have never, refused to train. I will be returning to the club tomorrow, as planned.
“I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise the relationship with the fans who have given me such unwavering support during my time with the club. This has always been the case as it is today."
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is a notoriously difficult man to negotiate with.
He has been prepared to dig his heels in regarding player exits and transfer fees over the years.
Kane still has several years to run on his deal meaning his club are under little pressure to sell, unless the player himself begins forcing the issue.
New boss Nuno has often insisted that the striker is going nowhere despite interest from the Premier League champions, who are yet to replace Sergio Aguero.
