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With the news coming through of Harry Kane looking to force his way out of Tottenham Hotspur this summer, the club might have no choice but to sell their talismanic captain.
Tottenham have a reputation of being a "selling club", with their star players often being tempted to teams promising more prestige and trophies. To the credit of Tottenham's management, they have always been able to maximize the sales of their prized players, receiving vast amounts of money to replace their stars. Here's a look at 5 of Tottenham Hotspur's record transfer sales.
#5 Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid (£20M)
Former Manchester City starlet Kieran Trippier never made a senior appearance for the Sky Blues and was instead shipped out on loan moves to Barnsley. In 2011, he signed for Burnley in a loan move that became permanent in 2012.
This was the start of a breakthrough year, where the 23-year-old was named in the PFA Championship Team of the year. Having impressed in his first Premier League season with Burnley in 2014, Tottenham signed the right-back for a minimal fee.
A strong crosser of the ball and an expert at set pieces, Trippier gave strong competition to England international Kyle Walker for the right-back spot. He provided more than enough cover when the latter was injured. He made the spot his own after Walker's move to Manchester City in 2017.
After four years with Spurs, which included one thrilling run to the Champions League final, Trippier surprised many by moving to Atletico Madrid for the fee of 20 million. Trippier, much to the delight of opposition fans, joined a long list of former Spurs players in winning the La Liga with Atletico Madrid in just his first season away from the London club.
#4 Luka Modric to Real Madrid (£28M)
Croatian magician Luka Modric wowed Spurs fans and neutrals alike with his ability, dexterity and vision on the ball in his four years at the club. Signed from Dinamo Zagreb for a then-club record of almost 17 million pounds, Modric's diminutive stature prevented him from immediately adapting to the intensity of the Premier League.
Deployed as a deep-lying playmaker under manager Harry Redknapp, Modric found his best form as the creative pulse of a Tottenham team that had a magical Champions League run in 2011.
Tottenham found it incredibly difficult to ward off potential suitors, which included Chelsea and Real Madrid, who were well aware of the Croatian's ability and brilliance. After spending one last season following an agreement that if a "big club" came in with an offer he would leave, Modric was eventually sold for 28 million pounds in 2012.
Modric has gone on to be one of the most decorated midfielders of his era. He has secured many team honours such as four Champions League titles and two Spanish League trophies. He also won the Ballon d'Or award in 2018.
#3 Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United (£30.75M)
Dimitar Berbatov will go down as one of the classiest strikers in Premier League history. The Bulgarian joined Tottenham having already been a Champions League regular with Bayer Leverkusen. He brought immense technical quality and a clinical finishing ability to Tottenham in 2006.
The Bulgarian in his time at Spurs scored 28 times over two years. He was a fan favorite known for his elegance and calm finishing and went on to secure a PFA Player of the Year nomination in the 2006-07 season.
When Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United came calling, having lost Carlos Tevez to Manchester City, Tottenham were left with little choice but to sell Berbatov.
#2 Kyle Walker to Manchester City (£35M + 15M in add-ons)
Kyle Walker was signed by Tottenham at 19 years of age from his boyhood club Sheffield United. He was loaned out to a number of lower-table Premier League clubs such as Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.
A breakthrough 2011-12 season saw Walker not only break into the first team but win the coveted PFA Young Player of the Year award. He went on to make over 183 appearances in a Tottenham shirt. Manchester City launched an audacious 50 million pound bid for his services in 2017, making him the most expensive defender in Premier League history at the time.
Walker has justified his price tag and has gone on to become a mainstay in Pep Guardiola's defence. The former Tottenham man has been used in an inverted right-wing-back role vital to stop counter attacks and adding a passing option in midfield. Walker has won three Premier League crowns, an FA Cup and four League Cups with the Sky Blues.
#1 Gareth Bale to Real Madrid (£85M)
Perhaps Spurs's biggest-ever modern-day superstar, Welshman Gareth Bale grew from a quiet left-back arriving from Southampton to world-beater by the 2013-14 season. His rapid pace, which famously left Inter Milan's Maicon for dead in the Champions League, combined with his lethal left foot, made Bale one of the world's best left-footed attackers.
After finishing the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons as the PFA Player of the Year, Real Madrid came calling to find their newest "Galactico". Much like Luka Modric in the previous season, Spurs could offer little to convince Gareth Bale to stay on at Tottenham. They instead commenceds negation to land a sizable transfer fee for the superstar, amounting to a world record £85M.
With the transfer fee secured, Spurs went on a splurge in the market, signing the likes of Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado and Christian Eriksen. All three players have gone on to have varying degrees of success with the London club. Gareth Bale surprisingly made a return on loan to Tottenham in the 2020-21 season after falling out of favour with Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
