It would have been the third biggest transfer in football history, but there was something decidedly unknown in the way Harry Kane canceled it. Kane tweeted that he would stay at Tottenham shortly before Nuno Espirito Santo gave his press conference ahead of Spurs’ Europa League play-offs against Pacos de Ferreira. Kane had already told Nuno Wednesday morning that he would stay, finally drawing a line under an endless saga.
For all the energy and attention this story has commanded, no one should be too surprised by the outcome. And the situation we are left with is that things are almost exactly as they were at the end of last season: Kane still plays for Spurs and is still hired until 2024. Manchester City continue without an experienced striker after the departure of Sergio Aguero in Barcelona. Daniel Levy is still pitching for Tottenham Hotspur. The months of talks have barely moved the situation. But the basic facts of the saga are the following:
Levy was furious with the way Kane had tried to make him jump at the end of last season
Manchester City offered five players in May and £ 75 million plus £ 25 million in June, and made no further offers.
The city was willing to pay 100 million fixed pounds plus an additional 20 million euros, but Levy refused to negotiate
Spurs fined Kane two weeks’ salary for delaying his return to training
With City and Spurs not speaking since late July, the movement had been dead for weeks despite Kane’s hopes.
All three parties must agree to any agreement, but the simple story of this non-transfer is that there was never enough political will to overcome it.