Real Madrid has revealed that illustrious striker Karim Benzema will depart the team this summer after spending 14 years in the capital of Spain.
The Frenchman’s contract ends at the end of the month, and it’s commonly believed that he will sign with Saudi Arabian team Al-Ittihad. The La Liga giants will have a difficult time finding a suitable replacement for the 35-year-old, who has made 657 appearances for them and scored 353 goals.
Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur is already known as Erik Ten Hag’s top priority to improve Manchester United’s forward options before the summer transfer window, therefore it is inevitable that Madrid will be connected with him. The England captain, who has plenty of suitors, has made a name for himself as one of the world’s top attackers in recent years.
The 29-year-old’s Spurs contract is set to expire in a year, so there is a potential they could decide to sell him to prevent the possibility of losing him for free after that time. However, United is also working under the presumption that the Londoners won’t permit him to depart this summer.
By all indications, United is the only English team that will likely be able to sign Kane this summer. They are in desperate need of a top-tier striker, and they would be able to provide him with Champions League play, which Spurs have been unable to do for the upcoming season.
However, with Benzema’s upcoming exit from the Bernabeu confirmed, Madrid will undoubtedly search for a new goal scorer to take his place, and Kane will undoubtedly be linked with a move to the European powerhouses. Of course, they can draw in the biggest names in the game, and the chance to play for Madrid is one that few people would pass up.
Kane, though, has the all-time Premier League goals record in his sights. The Spurs ace, who plundered 30 league goals this season, has scored 213 times in the division in his career, meaning he is just 47 goals away from equalling Alan Shearer’s long-standing record of 260.
It’s a record that Kane will probably be thinking about, and one he’ll want to break. The striker received attention from Manchester City in a deal over two years ago, and for a period it appeared as though he would depart, but instead, he stayed in north London.
In a special episode of The Overlap at the time, Gary Neville questioned Kane about his future and inquired as to whether or not he intended to try himself abroad.
Although relocating abroad is always an option, Kane remarked, “I don’t believe that intrigues me shortly. If I said I didn’t want the Premier League record, I’d be lying.
“I’d probably be a little disappointed in myself if I get to the end and I haven’t broken that record and the Wayne Rooney England record,” the athlete said.
Kane is possibly even less likely to be interested in switching to Spain or any other country in Europe given that he has come even closer to matching Shearer’s record since making that revelation. Even though he will turn 30 in a month, Kane hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down when it comes to scoring goals, as evidenced by his 32 goals across all competitions this season for a Spurs team that has regularly struggled.
With all of the things in mind, even if Spurs are almost certain to play hardball, United should still be optimistic about closing the deal. In sports, you can never say never, but Kane might already have dashed Madrid’s aspirations.