Can Manchester City nab Harry Kane this summer too?

With Jack Grealish already purchased by Manchester City, can they afford Harry Kane too?

Apparently the answer to this question is yes they can — but will they? This is the more difficult question to answer. Kane would love to leave north London and Tottenham after years of disappointment and one near-Champions League victory against Liverpool in the final.

But by the following season, before Christmas even, their boss, Mauricio Pochettino, had been sacked and replaced with Jose Mourinho.

That this did not make things better should go without saying and yet it all played out mediocrely for far longer than I personally imagined it would. When the “Special One” was fired last season, it was little shock, and felt inevitable Harry Kane would be ready to leave himself.

Whatever “gentleman’s agreement” Kane believed he had with chairman Daniel Levy, he should have gotten it written on paper. They do not wish to sell the best striker in the Premier League to an already powerhouse City side and they do not wish to see him win elsewhere in England.

Tottenham have wasted his years, however and for that, they should have the decency to sell him, make some money and let him enjoy his career on a club that has the proper coach managing them, with all due respect to Nuno Espirito Santo.

Harry Kane to Manchester City: Why it will happen before the summer window closes

It is tempting  to suggest Kane can be convinced by his longtime club into staying — as many believed could be done with Lionel Messi and Barcelona. The latter could not be made to work, in part thanks to Barça, Messi and LaLiga. Everyone shares blame in this regrettable circumstance but if Messi cannot reconcile with Barça after all of the trophies he’s won with them, what could make someone believe that Kane, with none of the silverware, would be more willing to stay with Spurs and not win?

Spurs wish for Kane to train, to look as though they’re still in charge and that there is still a hierarchy which must be respected. Kane, to his credit, has been reasonable and responsible as he almost always is, yet this is but a facade of sorts.

Spurs know that Kane will not re-sign in the future and they must get from his sale what they can before he has a random off year. Harry Kane knows Spurs know all of this. That is not a great combination for Tottenham and, in my opinion, will ultimately lead Kane’s departure in return for a player and cash.

Who that will be remains to be seen for City but it will likely be one of the three or four high profile want-a-ways. Bernardo Silva wishes to leave, but Arsenal or Spain seem more preferable than Tottenham. It might be Raheem Sterling, although I can’t believe that he would want to go to Spurs either.

Whichever player comes from City in a potential exchange, it would have to be someone Spurs value. I imagine a player like Gabriel Jesus might be the most appealing  should they lose Kane to Manchester City before the summer window is closed.

Is City willing to sell Jesus?

There have been rumors for years and with Kun Aguero leaving for Barca, a move he reportedly already regrets, Jesus could still be quite useful to Pep Guardiola and City.

Regardless, Manchester City have the money and the drive to get their man should they really want him and Tottenham must understand they will lose Kane eventually should they continue in this unreasonable position. Spurs are in line to make a lot of money to reorganize their team and it would be delusional to hold onto ambitions harder to fulfill than three or four years ago.

Spurs would be able to rebuild better around those remaining players while City would be poised for a real run in the Champions League once again. They are likely sore after losing to Chelsea yet again — their third loss in a row to Thomas Tuchel’s club — and this type of signing, in addition to Jack Grealish, would be remarkable to witness.

The loss to Leicester, who secured their second trophy in the last few months, games against Manchester United and Liverpool, will be interesting should City be stacked on their depth chart. While injuries are always possible, it seems that Manchester City and Pep have answers for a lot of questions that a brutally long campaign ask. Especially those clubs the ambition to compete as thoroughly as City does.