Everton manager Sean Dyche has revealed he once failed in an attempt to sign Harry Kane after Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy priced Burnley out of a move.
Kane arrives at Goodison Park on Monday night on the back of becoming England's all-time top scorer. The Tottenham forward netted goal number 54 of his Three Lions career when he converted a penalty in a Euro 2024 qualifier i Italy.
He then added his 55th in 82 appearances when he scored in the 2-0 win against Ukraine at Wembley last weekend. While for Spurs so far this season, the 29-year-old has scored 23 times in all competitions.
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Kane is approaching the final 12 months of his contract and while he is understood to be open to discussing a new deal, Tottenham have not yet begun that process amid the chaos of recent weeks, which has saw manager Antonio Conte depart.
And speaking ahead of Monday’s game, Blues boss Dyche has recalled how Levy priced the striker out of a move to Turf Moor.
“We spoke about trying to sign him for Burnley and the money was too much and all that kind of stuff,” the Everton boss revealed. “I saw him on holiday by chance actually, with his family, struck up a rapport with him, just chatting with him and his family about life and football and all that sort of stuff. Nothing heavy.
“I have then seen him at various functions, he’s been very generous with getting me some shirts as I back a few charities and stuff. He’s been generous.
“You just get a feel for people, forget about footballers, just for people, and he’s a top fella, in my opinion, the way he conducts himself and goes about it."
Pressed about the transfer, Dyche s continued: “There was a reason, by the way, don’t think it was when he got 20 goals a season because it wasn’t then.
“It was when he’d been on loan at Norwich and Leicester and it hadn’t quite gone as well. I just knew his background from the lads at Millwall, you see, because of my connection at Millwall and they all loved him.
“A fantastic, top young pro. I think he was only 18, and you know Millwall is a tough place to go and play when you are younger. He handled it fantastically.
“I had always had him in the background of my mind. I just wondered after he had had a couple of soft loans whether they were ready to do something.
“They weren’t because they had obviously seen what he could do and the rest is history. Fair play to them. I just made a phone call, but even then the numbers were too big for Burnley at that time, as you can imagine.
“It was just the timing and the money. That is sometimes the way it is. It wasn’t just me, there were lots of people out there thinking [the same] because he was such a good young player.”
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