Harry Kane 'will stay at Tottenham Hotspur if Mauricio Pochettino returns'

Harry Kane is reportedly ready to commit his future to Tottenham Hotspur if Mauricio Pochettino returns for a second spell in charge of the Lilywhites.

The England captain is currently due to become a free agent at the end of next season, and little progress has been made in efforts to tie him down to fresh terms.

Daniel Levy refused to sanction a nine-figure exit for Kane in 2021 amid firm interest from Manchester City, but the Spurs chairman is now running the risk of losing the club's top scorer on a free transfer in 2024.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich are seemingly set to go head-to-head for the signature of Kane, who is being tipped to pursue his silverware ambitions elsewhere as Spurs continue to fail in their attempts to snap a 15-year trophyless streak.

With negotiations over a new deal still in their early stages, Tottenham are reportedly ready to fend off interest in Kane during the upcoming transfer window and continue talks into the final months of his existing contract if need be.

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However, with Pochettino being tipped to take control of the reins again from Antonio Conte, Football Insider claims that Kane would be prepared to stay if the Argentine comes back to North London.

Conte's contract expires at the end of the current campaign, but the Italian is not expected to see out his deal after launching a scathing attack on his players following their 3-3 draw with Southampton last weekend.

Conte labelled his players "selfish" and pointed to the club's lack of trophies under Levy and Joe Lewis, although he has since clarified to the board that they were not the targets of his fury.

Nevertheless, with Tottenham's squad not taking kindly to their manager's assessment and pleading with Pochettino to return, Conte could very well be sacked before the return of domestic football.

While there are no guarantees that Kane will stay, the report adds that Pochettino's comeback could tempt the 29-year-old into penning fresh terms given his positive relationship with the Argentine.

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Kane rose to stardom under Pochettino's wing between 2014 and 2019, and the striker is now Tottenham's highest goalscorer of all time with 271 goals and 63 assists from 425 games in all competitions.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Kane has posted 23 goals and four assists from 39 outings in all competitions, sitting second in the Premier League's Golden Boot charts with 21 strikes, seven behind Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland.

The 29-year-old also became England's all-time leading goalscorer in Thursday's Euro 2024 qualifying win over Italy, and he took his Three Lions tally to 55 goals with the opener in Sunday's 2-0 win over Ukraine.

Should Tottenham give Conte the boot in the coming days or weeks, Ryan Mason may be placed in interim charge until the end of the season, when a host of big-name targets could be pursued by the board.

As well as Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as a leading candidate following his shock sacking from Bayern Munich, while ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique has also been strongly linked with the role.