Tottenham Hotspur may be on the cusp of securing Champions League football this season but they now face a fresh challenge in keeping star striker Harry Kane at the club as Bayern Munich go in search of a replacement for Robert Lewandowksi.
The Polish international has reportedly told the Bayern board that he has potentially played his final game for the Bundesliga champions, and there aren’t many candidates who are capable of filling the boots of a player who has scored 344 goals in 375 appearances for the German club.
But Kane would certainly fall into that bracket and Julian Nagelsmann’s outfit have been urged to pursue a deal for the “complete” Spurs forward this summer as a replacement for their veteran striker.
The England international has an equally impressive record with 247 goals in 385 appearances for the north London club, and former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has told Sky Sports Germany that Die Roten should target Kane if Lewandowski leaves this summer.
As reported by the Express, he said: "Personally, I would try to get Harry Kane [for] Bayern right away. This is my opinion. For me, this is a complete striker who scores goals every day at Tottenham, in a very good but not world-class team. If he plays in a team like Bayern, then I think he's a great replacement at a very good footballing age. That's up to Bayern Munich."
Kane was heavily targeted by Manchester City last summer but Daniel Levy refused to sell his star asset to their Premier League rivals, but talks of a potential exit for the 28-year-old have continued ahead of the end of the current campaign, especially if Antonio Conte ends up leaving the Lilywhites.
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But with Spurs needing just a point at Norwich City on Sunday to secure a top four finish and Champions League qualification next season, there is the huge belief that Conte will remain at the helm, which would also bring with it a greater chance of Kane sticking around, too.
The Italian manager has already been eyeing up reinforcements for next season and, ironically, a prolific back-up for Kane. According to Footmercato, Spurs have made contact with Rennes forward Martin Terrier about joining the club next season.
The 25-year-old has netted 21 goals in 36 Ligue 1 appearances this term and Spurs are said to be ‘very fond’ of the player. The Frenchman is under contract in his homeland for the next three years, although the lure of Premier League - and Champions League - football next season could be very hard to turn down for a player that Spurs see as Kane’s perfect back-up.
Securing qualification for Europe’s top club competition would not only increase their chances of keeping Conte, and therefore Kane, in north London next season, as well as securing their top transfer targets such as Terrier, but it is also set to land Levy and co. a huge financial windfall.
As per Twitter user Swiss Ramble , a football business expert, clubs earn £13.3m for participating in the Champions League, going by UEFA competitions prize money for 2021/22. The maximum revenue from the groups is £14.3m, where a win is worth £2.3m and a draw is worth £796k. The maximum possible amount of money to be earned by winning the competition is £59.7m, which rises to £71.9m in total with the participation money.
Spurs would also bring in more money due to the TV pool and UEFA coefficient. The UEFA coefficient pot for 2021/22, worth £507.5m, was split into £960k shares for all 32 clubs in the group stage, while part of the total of £259m in TV cash was shared out based on a team's position in the previous season's Premier League - Spurs would receive 10% for finishing fourth.
