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What's the rumour?
With Real Madrid struggling for goals, they are set to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane for what could be a world record fee. According to The Times, the La Liga club are ready to pay £200m for the Englishman's services.
The transfer fee would be higher than the fee Paris Saint-Germain paid to sign Neymar from Barcelona. Last summer had seen the Ligue 1 club pay the Brazilian's release clause of €222m (£198m).
Kane does not have a release clause in his Spurs contract which runs until 2022 but Real Madrid are planning to test Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's resolve.
In case you didn't know...
Kane has been in supreme form ever since he broke into the Spurs first team. Although he is still only 24 years old, the striker has already scored more than 100 goals for the club, of which 98 have come in the Premier League.
He has also won two consecutive Premier League Golden Boot awards (2015/16 and 2016/17) apart from being named in the PFA Team of the Year in the last three seasons. Kane also set a new record when he scored 39 goals in the league in 2017.
The heart of the matter
If Real Madrid do come in with a world record bid, it would put Spurs and Kane in a dilemma. With financial constraints at the club due to the renovation of White Hart Lane - whose cost has spiralled upwards from £400m to £750m - they might be tempted to accept the offer.
However, Levy knows he has to do everything he can to keep Kane who will be a key member in the core of Mauricio Pochettino's side as they look to challenge for the league title once again.
Rumour rating/probability
7/10
With Karim Benzema struggling (two goals in La Liga) and Cristiano Ronaldo not getting any younger (he turns 33 in February), it is understandable that Real Madrid would be looking at 24-year-old Kane as someone who can lead the line for the next few years.
Having spent very little in the last two summer transfer windows compared to other top clubs and having received funds from the sale of players such as Alvaro Morata, they do have the money.
If numerous reports in the press that claim Florentino Perez wants to sign Neymar are true, there is no chance he will also spend money to buy Kane as well.
Video: Harry Kane's 39 Premier League goals in 2017
Author's take
Real Madrid are in a crisis and their forwards have been poor in front of goal this season. In their desperation, they could make such a bid but the big question is whether Spurs will accept their offer.
Moreover, whether Kane wants to move to Spain is another factor that needs to be considered. English players rarely move abroad too.
If Real double his wages (currently at £120,000 per week), there is no reason why he shouldn't try and move to La Liga where he has a better chance of winning trophies.
And lastly, what if Real replace Zinedine Zidane with Spurs boss Pochettino? Kane may as well follow him to the Bernabeu then.
