Pep Guardiola has disclosed that Tottenham turned down four Manchester City bids for Harry Kane last summer and that he was concerned about his team’s season as a result. Despite Kane’s wish to leave, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy remained staunch in his desire to keep him, despite City’s refusal to pay the £150 million asking price.
Biddings for Hary Kane
The saga was finally ended a few days before the transfer window closed after the season had already begun. The Premier League winners lead Liverpool by nine points, but their manager has misgivings after failing to replace Sergio Aguero.
‘Now you can say, “Harry Kane didn’t come and everything is going well” but at the time I didn’t know it,’ said Guardiola. ‘We tried but Tottenham was clear that it was not going to happen.
“When that happens two, three, four times, it’s over. After that, we saw the squad and we were not sure. We then lost at Spurs and against Leicester in the Community Shield. I never was disappointed in what the club cannot do in the transfer market. I’ve never created a fire here. When we have some talks and we cannot agree, we do it internally.”
City faces Kane for the first time since their quest began on Saturday, and Guardiola is wary of Spurs, expecting a retaliation given Antonio Conte’s side’s three consecutive defeats.
Guardiola and Tottenham
Guardiola is still looking for a striker, and the club is attempting to persuade Erling Haaland to leave Borussia Dortmund for Manchester City rather than Spain this summer. If they can’t, River Plate forward Julian Alvarez, who was signed in January and is currently training with the team, might be a first-team regular.
“The club is always working, it never stops,’ Guardiola added. ‘If five players say they want to leave, we have to be ready. Julian scored three goals in the last game for River Plate and Man City made an incredible deal because he is a player who moves well, the goals he scores are like Jamie Vardy’s. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
For the time being, City is relying on a team effort in front of goal, with three players — Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, and Bernardo Silva — already scoring in double figures.
“With the players we have we have to adapt,’ Guardiola explained. ‘Raheem’s goals are a consequence of his confidence. I am very glad that he is back to his best.”
City’s appeal of Kyle Walker’s three-match Champions League suspension was denied. In their final group encounter, Walker was sent off for a violent swipe at RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva. In City’s last-16 first-leg triumph over Sporting Lisbon, he served the first game of his suspension.
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