Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to place a £100m price-tag on Harry Kane, even if Real Madrid show an interest in the forward.
Kane, who scored 30 times in the Premier League this season, has just over a year left on his contract, putting Spurs at risk of losing their most prized asset on a free transfer in 2024.
Chairman Daniel Levy is allegedly prepared to take that risk if it prevents the 29-year-old from signing for an English rival for the 2023-24 campaign.
That had been deemed to be Kane's most likely route of securing a move elsewhere with the England international seemingly having little interest in signing for either of Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the situation has now changed with Karim Benzema surprisingly turning down the option of extending his stay at Real to likely move to a club in Saudi Arabia.
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Los Blancos are suddenly in a position where they are lacking a frontline striker and two high-profile playmakers in Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard, who are departing on free transfers.
On a positive note from Real's perspective, however, room has been freed up on the wage bill, giving them further freedom to explore proven alternatives rather than the planned loan arrival of Joselu from Espanyol.
According to the Daily Mail, Real are ready to indicate to their Spurs counterparts that they are interested in negotiating a deal for Kane.
The report says that Spurs will fire back with a demand of £100m if they receive formal contact from the La Liga giants, aware of their need to sufficiently replace Benzema.
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Real are allegedly hopeful that there is room to lower that asking price with the feeling being that all parties can mutually resolve their respective situations.
Much may depend on whether Kane is willing to leave the Premier League, the frontman known to be keen to eventually break Alan Shearer's all-time leading goalscorer record at some point during his career.
Versatile Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz has emerged as a realistic alternative, although a recent report hinted that the Germany international was viewed as more than just a straight replacement for Benzema.
As it stands, there are mixed reports over Chelsea's willingness to sell, yet Real know that the 23-year-old could be available for approximately half the price of Kane after only netting seven times for the West Londoners in the top flight last season.
Darren Plant
