Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane will not be allowed to move to a direct Premier League rival this summer, according to a report.
The Lilywhites' record goalscorer now has fewer than 18 months left to run on his contract, and speculation surrounding his future is starting to intensify once again.
Tottenham are expected to accelerate talks to tie Kane down to a new deal in the coming months, but they will be left in a difficult situation should he decide against renewing.
With Kane currently able to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of next season, Spurs may be pressured into a sale this summer, and Manchester United are being strongly linked with a move.
The Red Devils tried and failed to sign Kane in 2021 when it emerged that the England captain was looking to leave Tottenham, but Daniel Levy refused to sanction a sale for less than £150m.
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Two years later, Man United are on the hunt for a permanent successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kane has seemingly emerged as a leading target for Erik ten Hag.
However, The Times reports that Tottenham will not sell the 29-year-old to a fellow English club, meaning that the striker will be forced to go abroad to advance his career elsewhere.
Aside from Man United, Bayern Munich are the only other team believed to be actively pursuing a move for Kane following the exit of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona last year.
The Three Lions captain is yet to win a major trophy with Tottenham, but he broke Jimmy Greaves's all-time goalscoring record with a 267th strike in Sunday's 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Kane's record-breaking goal for Tottenham was also his 200th in the Premier League, seeing him become just the third player to hit the landmark after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney.
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The 29-year-old is believed to be open to signing a new Tottenham deal as he aims to help the club end their 15-year trophy drought, but no talks have taken place since his unsuccessful push for an exit in 2021.
Furthermore, speaking to Viaplay after Sunday's victory over Man City, Kane refused to rule out a move away in the future: "Look, I'm just here to perform every game and give my all for the badge so yeah, we'll see what happens.
"I'm concentrated on this season. We've got the FA Cup, we've got the Champions League coming up and we're in a good position in the league to try to push forward so that's what I'm concentrated on."
Kane now has 19 goals and three assists in 30 appearances for Spurs in all tournaments this season, and the Lilywhites' stance would force Man United to look elsewhere in their search for a big-name striker.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is believed to be another target high on the Red Devils' shortlist, and Ten Hag's side are supposedly not put off by the Serie A leaders' £107m asking price for the Nigerian.
Ben Knapton
