Tottenham talisman Harry Kane has reached an agreement in principle to join Bayern Munich. The face of English football has agreed to personal terms with the German champions, but even with this widely reported breakthrough, this deal is far from reaching completion.
Despite the very real prospect of losing Kane for free next summer, Tottenham are still holding to their valuation of about £100m (€116m/$127m), according to a report in The Guardian.
And according to The Athletic, in a report earlier today, the offer tabled by Bayern is only worth €70m (£60m/$76.7m), and was therefore outright rejected at White Hart Lane.
Elsewhere another report, in ESPN, contradicts that, indicating that the north London club is yet to even receive an official bid from the Bavarian giants. So who is right and who is wrong?
Maybe it all depends on when they went to publication with their information.
The facts keep changing here, rapidly, as this is a very fluid situation.
But that sky high valuation has priced out Manchester United, who were interested in Harry Kane for what felt like forever. Real Madrid were also keen, but they dropped out to focus on Kylian Mbappe instead.
Kane shows no interest in signing an extension with Tottenham, and honestly, who could blame him, given the current state of the team.
Bayern Munich may return with a higher bid, and could keep on bidding as the summer progresses, buoyed by the fact that they know the player is interested.
But all in all, it looks more likely that Kane will just see out the rest of his deal, and then move on next summer.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.