Striker On Strike: Harry Kane Fails to Show Up for Training in Bid to Force Move to Manchester City

Harry Kane won the Premier League’s Golden Boot for the third time in May, with his goal against Leicester putting him one ahead of rival Mo Salah, of Liverpool. Tottenham have since appointed a new manager but Kane is determined to leave.

England striker Harry Kane failed to show up for pre-season training at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground on Monday, 2 August, the clearest sign yet that he intends to start the new season with a new club.

Kane’s 23 goals capped another splendid season and he was a key player as England made it to the final of Euro 2020 but his days at Tottenham appear to be numbered.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2021

​It is the fifth time in seven seasons that Kane has broken through the 20-goal mark but Spurs have failed to match his performances.

The north London club have never won the Premier League and last won the top tier of English football in 1961 - 32 years before Kane was born - and their last trophy was the League Cup in 2008.

Spurs sacked manager Jose Mourinho in April and subsequently lost the Carabao Cup Final to Manchester City, who are at the front of the queue to sign Kane for a fee which might go as high as £160 million.

— Average Striker (@AverageStriker) August 2, 2021

​Levy was furious when Kane gave an interview with former footballer Gary Neville in May in which he admitted he wanted to leave Spurs to join a club where he could win trophies.

Levy insists Kane, who is three years into a six-year contract, is not for sale, but is understood to be willing to accept a bid of £150 million, which would make him the third most expensive player in history - behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who both joined Paris St Germain.

— ً (@JacobTHFC_) August 2, 2021

​Kane believes he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Levy to leave this summer if the club failed to win a trophy.

City’s main striker, Sergio Aguero, joined Barcelona in May after scoring his 261st and final goal for the Manchester club.

City are one of three Premier League clubs - along with Chelsea and Manchester United - interested in Kane but they are the only ones with deep enough pockets to meet the transfer fee.

In the Neville interview Kane seemed to hint City would be his preferred option, when he praised the club’s Belgian midfielder: “When I watch De Bruyne play he's a special, special player and some of the balls I see him put in for City are just a striker's dream, if I'm honest.”

Social media is divided on Monday with many Tottenham fans sympathising with Kane, while others are disappointed and depressed by his failure to show up for training.