A move to manage Chelsea hasn't affected Mauricio Pochettino's admiration for Harry Kane - but he's stopped short of suggesting a move for him.
The pair worked together for five years at Tottenham, with the striker a pivotal figure in the unquestionable progress made by the club under the Argentinian boss. A reunion was widely touted this summer, but Chairman Daniel Levy was seemingly cold on the idea of Pochettino returning following the sacking of Antonio Conte.
Instead Chelsea pounced, and now Ange Postecoglou is the man charged with the task of keeping the club record goalscorer content, with Kane's current deal in north London set to expire in 12 months. Manchester United have long pursued the England captain, while Bayern Munich have also registered their interest this summer despite advances being firmly rejected.
And an approach from Stamford Bridge also can't be ruled out, judging by the latest comments made by the club's new manager to the media: "I don't like to talk about players in another club, but you are talking about one of the greatest, one of the best strikers in the world," he said of Kane.
"It's not fair to talk, it's not fair to say nothing. People are not stupid, fans are not stupid, they are so clever and they know my relationship with him was always amazing. I saw him when he was young, grow up and achieve all he was achieving and of course we have a great relationship."
That appraisal would strongly suggest that Pochettino wants to make Kane central to his summer overhaul, despite the signing of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal. However, the 51-year-old insisted a move was not imminent.
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"At the moment we are thinking in different ways," he continued. "We are not thinking about that. Of course working hard to try to provide the squad with good qualities. I don't like to talk about players and, more than that, players who were close to me."
The reluctance of Levy to let Kane move across the capital is also likely to be extreme. Tottenham chiefs undoubtedly favour a move abroad should he move on this summer, avoiding the notion of strengthening one of their Premier League rivals.
Initially, Real Madrid seemed the most likely destination, with the Spanish giants said to be preparing a £100 million big. However, those links have since cooled following the revelations from Kylian Mbappe that he intends to walk away from PSG for free next summer, with Real his most likely destination.
