Inside Manchester City’s pursuit of Tottenham striker Harry Kane over one year on

Tottenham’s chief negotiator Daniel Levy demanded a staggering £200 million fee from Manchester City, when the Premier League champions came calling in the summer of 2021.

At the time, City officials were handed the tough task of seeking an immediate replacement for the departed Sergio Aguero – who had left the Etihad Stadium after a decade-long spell in Sky Blue.

Joining FC Barcelona in La Liga, Aguero became the latest in a long line of club legends to have left Manchester City in quick succession, following in the footsteps of the likes of Vincent Kompany and David Silva – both of whom had left in years prior.

That search kept City officials closer to home, as they looked towards Tottenham Hotspur for the first time since 2017, when Etihad chiefs sounded out Kyle Walker as the ideal long-term successor to Pablo Zabaleta.

At the time, a source familiar with negotiations – as relayed by The Athletic – for Kyle Walker in 2017 described the process as “like having blood in your p*ss”.

This feeling was replicated during the saga surrounding Kane.

According to the information of Ben Jacobs, Harry Kane felt it was the right time, the right club, and the right manager for him to move to Manchester City, when the Premier League champions held an interest in the striker in the summer of 2021.

However, the one reason – and main reason – why any move failed to come to fruition is Tottenham chief Daniel Levy, who was insistent on not wanting to sell the England international forward.

It is further reported that the asking price from Tottenham for Kane at the time was as high as £200 million, with absolutely no intention from the London club to negotiate, or even entertain talks.

From Kane’s perspective at that time, Ben Jacobs states there was a sense of ‘bafflement’ as a deal with Manchester City was not even something Spurs would consider. However, the idea that Harry Kane ‘threw his toys out of the pram’, refused to train, or tried to force a move has now been denied.

Ultimately, City would have the last laugh.

Just the following summer, patience from the Etihad Stadium would hand them the opportunity to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland – with the Norwegian forward also being chased by Real Madrid.

The 22 year-old forward was snatched up by Manchester City for his release clause, which is widely understood to be £51 million, while also providing the Etihad club with a forward that has much greater longevity than their previous target.