Harry Kane will be denied his dream transfer move to Manchester City, despite their interest, as Daniel Levy is now determined to keep hold of the Tottenham striker.
The England captain made it clear at the end of the season, after Spurs had failed to qualify for the Champions League, that he wanted a fresh challenge. It's also been strongly suggested Man City is Kane's preferred destination - and the club are looking for a new forward after Sergio Aguero's departure.
However Spurs chairman Levy is now firmly of the mindset of keeping hold of Kane, according to an exclusive report in the Telegraph, and will hold the player to his contract which runs until 2024.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly keen on signing a player who topped both the goal and assist charts in last season's Premier League, with City ready to spend a reported £100 million on the 27-year-old.
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The problem Kane - and City - face is that Levy drives a notoriously hard bargain, often delaying transfer moves to the last possible moment to extract the most from the deal as he did with Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid in 2013.
City, however, want any deal for a new striker done early to give the player time to bed in. There's also the thought that the two clubs may be apart on value with the Tottenham chairman valuing Kane well above £100 million.
There has been talk of a gentleman's agreement between Kane and Levy, but the player has three years to run on his contract so Tottenham are not compelled to sell the player. It's also thought unlikely that Kane would ever refuse to play for Spurs, given his emotional ties to the club, even if denied his move.
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On Kane's future and desire to win trophies, Levy said: "his frustration at not winning is shared by me and, I'm sure, all the fans and players." But that does not mean Kane has free reign to depart.
The England skipper is struggling at Euro 2020, having barely threatened in group games against Croatia and Scotland. He was substituted in both matches, although the player has denied that transfer speculation about his future is impacting his form.
"Absolutely not, to be honest," said Kane the day after the 0-0 draw with Scotland. "All my focus is on how I can help this team and how we can be successful in this tournament.
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"I understand from a media point of view there is speculation, but I am fully focused on the job we have here. We would have wanted to beat Scotland and go through, but that is not always the case in tournament football. It isn't as easy as that."
By the looks of things, it may not be easy for Kane to make a move away from Tottenham, either.
All imagery: PA Images
Topics: Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Harry Kane