Tottenham defender Emerson Royal believes Harry Kane wishes to stay at the London club beyond the summer, despite heavy interest from Manchester United.
The England captain is Erik ten Hag’s top target but the Reds are currently exploring other options after Spurs indicated their reluctance to sell. United are not willing to entertain a long chase of Kane with a world class centre-forward needed ahead of next season.
Kane, who has 12 months left on his current deal, faces the prospect of no European football next season after Tottenham’s eighth-place Premier League finish. However, teammate Royal believes the 29-year-old still wants to remain at Spurs despite the club having no manager in situ.
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As captured by Sky Sports, Royal said of Kane: “Top [player], for me, he’s number one in this position. I'm so happy for him. He wants to stay with us. I want to play with him for a long time.”
Kane is yet to win a trophy in his career and will not play Champions League football again until he is 31 at the earliest, should he remain at Spurs. He refused to engage in commenting on his future after his club’s 4-1 final day win at relegated Leeds.
He said: "It is part and parcel of being a footballer [speculation about leaving] especially when you are at the top of your game. I have focused on this season and helping the team as much as possible. I am just looking forward to a nice break and some games with England."
Ten Hag says is aiming for a top two finish next season and has called for the club to invest in “better players.” Speaking after Thursday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea, which guaranteed Champions League football at Old Trafford next season, he said: “We want to compete for the title but you have to be realistic and can first say when you have your squad in the end of the transfer window and the winter transfer window what you can do.
“The squad is there and you can make a statement about if it is realistic or not. Now we are far away, so we have a lot of work to do. We make progress in this team in this squad, but we need better players if we want to compete for the highest.”
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