He is one of the hottest properties around in English football and rumours persist that he is high on Real Madrid's wanted list. And with 18 league goals for his club Tottenham Hotspur this season to date, Harry Kane is well on course to win his third consecutive Premier League golden boot. It is easy to see why Los Merengues continue to send admiring glances the way of the England centre-forward.
But would Kane be receptive to a move to the Bernabeu and a stint in La Liga? How would he get on in Spain? Would he take over from Cristiano Ronaldo as Real's main striker? Or would he struggle to adapt to a league that is completely different to the cut and thrust of the Premier League? Here, we take a look at the pros and cons of a move to the Spanish capital, with Real in all likelihood his most likely and realistic suitors, and examine if the prolific marksman would thrive further in new surroundings.
Since making his club debut against Hearts in a UEFA Europa League qualification tie in August 2011, Kane has gone on to score an incredible 123 goals in 191 games to date for the Lilywhites. He has forged a tremendous partnership with fellow England international Dele Alli for both club and country and his prolificacy in front of goal has seen him linked with a big-money move away from North London. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is meanwhile being encouraged by many to break the bank to tie him down to a bumper new long-term contract.
Move To Madrid A Realistic Proposition?
Indeed, Manchester City's star forward Sergio Aguero, once of Real's city rivals Atletico Madrid and another of those who has been linked in the past with a move to the current European champions, has talked up Kane's suitability for a move to the Bernabeu, telling the British press: "Players of his quality, they wouldn't have a problem playing for such an important club as Real Madrid."
A move to Spain to the 12-time European champions, following in the footsteps of former Spur's Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, could never be ruled out given the financial clout that manager Zinedine Zidane's employers possess. But would he fit in and adapt to the Spanish style of play with ease? His ability to score goals is unquestionable. And there is the argument that he would score even more goals in La Liga with the likes of Bale, Ronaldo, Isco, Toni Kroos and Modric to supply him.
But does he need to move to achieve his goals in the sport? Kane was born 24 years ago in the North London suburb of Walthamstow, less than five miles from Tottenham's White Hart Lane home. He has admitted that the majority of his family are Spurs fans and the likelihood of him wanting to leave anytime soon is unlikely given how far the club have progressed under Mauricio Pochettino's tutelage. However, despite Tottenham's exciting brand of football, Kane is yet to collect any silverware to date and the longer that trend continues the bigger the chance he will have to move on to match his own ambitions.
There are currently few clubs in world football that could potentially attract a player of Kane's standing within the game. A projected £200 million price tag for the man who finished 10th in the latest Balon d'Or standings would likely put off most suitors aside from the likes of Real, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and the two Manchester clubs. However, if he was to depart his boyhood club, a move to the Bernabeu would seem the most likely option at this moment in time.
Kane Versus The Master Marksman
His physicality and ability to find the net with unerring accuracy from all positions would surely frighten the life out of Spanish defences, the way Ronaldo has done since his own move from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese superstar has bagged an incredible 422 goals in just 416 games since his own record-breaking £80 million move nearly nine years ago. However, despite his record-breaking feats in Spain, Los Merengues' five-time Balon' d'Or winner will be 33-years- old in February and although he has signalled his intention to play on until his 40th year, murmurings of his discontent in the Spanish capital have been a regular occurrence over the past season or two.
If Ronaldo does eventually move on, Real could well look to Kane as his long-term successor. Experiencing a new league, a new style of football and a new culture has been lauded by many who have experienced it as the best career decision they ever made. The likes of Bale and Steve McManaman at Real, Glenn Hoddle at Monaco and Liam Brady at Juventus have described how experiencing a new culture improved them as footballers. And while playing for their boyhood club for the entirety of their career in front of an adoring audience remains the dream of many a young footballer, the opportunity to improve and grow as a person and challenge for the biggest titles available is a hard carrot to resist for many.
And while Spurs have already defeated Real in this season's Champions League, Kane will be looking to start accumulating silverware on a regular basis if he is to become one of those players who remained a one man club. He has shown for nearly four seasons now that he is one of the best strikers in the world. The opportunity to become recognised as THE best and challenge for the Balon d'Or crown could prove too irresistible eventually for Kane to resist. Spurs supporters will hope that he is able to achieve all of his lofty ambitions in North London.
Kane is currently the top goalscorer in the Premier League with 18 goals and is on course to win his third consecutive Golden Boot award. Ahead of Tottenham's third round FA Cup tie with AFC Wimbledon this coming weekend, Kane once again is top of the best first goalscorer odds at Sun Bets with odds of 2/1 to open the scoring against the League One minnows.
