Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly weighing up a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney if Harry Kane leaves the club this summer.
On the back of a record-breaking campaign for club and country, Kane's future is once again the subject of much speculation ahead of the expiry of his contract in 2024.
Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all been linked with the 29-year-old, but only the latter team are thought to be left in the race for his signature.
Bayern have apparently failed with two offers for Kane, who Spurs chairman Daniel Levy insists is still not for sale this summer, in spite of his uncertain contract situation.
If Kane makes it clear that he will not commit his future to the Lilywhites, Levy could still request a nine-figure sum to let him leave this time around, otherwise he will be able to walk out of the door for nothing in under 12 months' time.
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Bayern board member Uli Hoeness has publicly expressed his confidence over a deal for the England captain, who is also thought to be open to moving to the German champions after positive talks with Thomas Tuchel.
Whether Bayern will bow to Levy's £100m demands remains to be seen, but Spurs are already believed to be scoping out potential successors to Kane, who captained his side in their recent 3-2 friendly loss to West Ham United.
Lille's Jonathan David and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic have been mentioned as possible replacements, but according to FootballTransfers, Toney has also emerged as a target.
The 27-year-old quickly adapted to life in the Premier League following Brentford's promotion in 2021, netting 12 goals in his debut campaign and hitting the 20-strike mark in the 2022-23 season.
However, Toney's successful season was overshadowed by numerous breaches of FA betting rules, for which he was slapped with an eight-month suspension by the FA, ruling him out of action until January.
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Nevertheless, the report claims that Spurs are willing to wait until Toney's ban is lifted before making their move for the England international over the winter, and the striker has been on their radar for some time.
Former head coach David Pleat apparently recommended Toney to Levy as an ideal backup and eventual successor to Kane, but the Lilywhites were issued a hands-off warning before signing Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica.
In spite of the fact that Toney cannot take part in any football-related activity for another six months, Levy has supposedly not ruled out a summer move if Kane does bid farewell in the coming weeks.
Toney burst onto the scene with Peterborough United in League One before earning a £4.9m move to Brentford in 2020, and he has since amassed 68 goals and 21 assists in 124 games for Thomas Frank's side.
The England international still has another two years left to run on his contract at the Gtech Community Stadium, and Bees boss Frank stated earlier this year that he believes Toney is a "£100m plus" player.
Ben Knapton
