Harry Kane has brought an end to the saga of his future by announcing that he will stay at Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Manchester City have wanted the striker but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has refused to sell him and Kane has finally provided clarity by announcing he will remain with the London club.
“It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I've had in the last few weeks,” Kane tweeted. “I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100 per cent focused on helping the team achieve success.”
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo welcomed Kane’s decision and declared the affair “finished” and praised Kane for his behaviour of late.
"Great news,” he said. “Fantastic news. I think since Harry joined us he has been working so this is what we value. His attitude in training has been excellent.
"It's finished. Harry is going to be with us. He is an option for tomorrow. It is great news for everybody. We are all very happy one of the best players in the world. I am delighted to have one more option for the season ahead of us."
Nuno has long said he thought Kane would stay and has sought to keep him, though the forward’s wording left the possibility he will move next summer.
The manager added: “I am not worried at all. It’s day by day, he’s an option for tomorrow. It’s the only thing, my only thought. I am not going to say what we speak about. It’s between us.”
Kane, who had failed to report to pre-season training with Tottenham when they expected him, made a belated first appearance of the season as a substitute in their 1-0 win at Wolves at Sunday.
He was applauded by Spurs fans then after he had been mocked by them during their opening win against City, when they chorused: “Are you watching, Harry Kane?”
Kane, who turned 28 last month, has three years left on his contract and his value is likely to be reduced next summer. Any sale this summer would have been a club record for Tottenham, and potentially a Premier League record, with Spurs reportedly wanting up to £160 million ($219.3m).
Kane topped the Premier League charts for both goals and assists last season with 23 and 14 respectively. He is the second highest scorer in Tottenham’s history with 221, 45 behind Jimmy Greaves.
Spurs had been linked with Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez as a possible replacement for Kane, but Nuno has used winger Son Heung-min as a striker in Kane’s absence.
Goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, one of Spurs’ summer signings, was pleased Kane had committed his future, saying: “He's definitely one of the best strikers in the world so it's very important news for us and also the Tottenham fans.”
Gollini is set to make his second appearance for Spurs when they face Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday night in their Europa Conference League play-off, trailing 1-0.
The Italian, who was signed on loan from Atalanta, is understudying the club captain Hugo Lloris and said: “There's always something to learn. I think you have to be able to steal things from everybody, it can be on the pitch, in the changing room. You always have to be very aware of what's going around you and learn from everybody.”
Nuno made 11 changes for the first leg and selected two teenagers in the starting XI, with two more appearing off the bench. They will be without defenders Joe Rodon and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with Nuno suggesting that the Welshman will not join up with his country for their World Cup qualifiers.
