Darren Bent has urged Tottenham to accept Bayern Munich’s latest offer for Harry Kane rather than risk the prospect of their record goalscorer walking out for free next summer.
And the former Spurs striker believes the England captain should be chomping at the bit to join the Bundesliga giants - even if it means he does not become the Premier League ’s all-time top marksman.
Kane, 29, has entered the final year of his contract and is unlikely to extend his stay at Spurs. But the club have turned down several bids from Bayern, whose latest offer is worth £96.4m and have warned it is their final submission.
There is no suggestion of Kane looking to force his way out of the club. But Bent believes the chances of him joining another Premier League side in 12 months should be enough for chairman Daniel Levy to do a deal with Bayern.
“If Harry Kane has made it clear he’s not signing a new contract, you need to get as much money as possible for him now and reinvest,” Bent said.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash“It’s quite late in the window but you have to get something. You can’t allow arguably the best player in your club’s history to leave for nothing. That’s just not acceptable.
“Harry Kane has been phenomenal at Spurs but they haven’t won anything with him. Their position in the table may drop a little immediately but these things happen. Top players leave clubs and it’s up to the club to rebuild.
“Spurs without Harry Kane, you think, what do they do? But do you want £100m to try and invest in the squad and see him go to the Bundesliga or see him leave on a free next year and potentially join a rival?"
One of the biggest motivations for Kane to remain is the chance to become the Premier League’s record goalscorer. He currently sits second on 213 behind Alan Shearer’s 260.
But he is yet to win a major trophy having lost a Champions League final and two League Cup finals with Spurs. Being at Bayern, considering their dominance of German football, is the closest thing to a guarantee of success in football.
Bent added: “I’d love to see him break Shearer’s record. He’s within touching distance of being able to do it. But he also has the chance of going to play for one of the world’s biggest clubs in Bayern Munich. You can’t turn your nose up at that because if he goes there he has a genuine chance of winning the Champions League.
“Kane is one of the best centre forwards on the planet and they lost another in Lewandowski just over a year ago. It’s up to Harry. Does he put more stock in breaking Shearer’s record and going elsewhere next year or does he go to Bayern?
“If you have the offer of Bayern and the chance to win the Bundesliga and potentially the Champions League, I’d find it very difficult to say no to that.”