Football
James Olley, Senior Writer, ESPN FC 3y

Tottenham's Harry Kane '100% committed' to final Premier League games - Ryan Mason

Tottenham Hotspur interim boss Ryan Mason said he expects Harry Kane to remain "100% committed" to the club for their final two matches and that he has not spoken to the striker about his future.

Kane has told Spurs he wants to leave this summer in pursuit of silverware, according to ESPN sources, but chairman Daniel Levy is likely to hold out for a fee in the region of £150 million given the 27-year-old has three years remaining on his contract.

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Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are all interested in Kane, who ideally wants his future resolved before the start of Euro 2020 on June 11, but Tottenham's valuation and reluctance to sell are likely to complicate any exit.

"He feels fine, looking forward to tomorrow," Mason said. "He is going to be 100% committed. I'm looking forward to seeing him play in our beautiful stadium, in front of our fans, so we are excited about tomorrow.

"I think he starts tomorrow because he is our best striker, one of the best strikers in the world. I said all along -- and I've been pretty consistent in my managers, whether that's about my future, managers for next season -- the facts are I am here for the next two games and that is my main focus.

"Putting a team out and preparing a team to win those games. Hopefully we can do that tomorrow with Harry up front and hopefully he can have an influence on the game. What we've seen with Harry over the course of this season and all our players, they've been committed. Harry's played, I don't know how many games, it must be pushing close to 50.

"I thought the weekend was an exceptional performance from him, probably the best he has been in the last five games. He got his goal but I thought his overall performance, his work rate, was exceptional. So I am sure tomorrow evening that will be no different."

Asked directly if Kane had asked to leave, Mason replied: "No, not that I'm aware of. Like I say, all this speculation I'm not sure. All of my conversations I've had with H have been about the game the other day and also preparing for the game tomorrow. So no ... I don't know."

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are disappointed by the timing of Monday's news given the club can still qualify for Europe next season and will face Aston Villa in front of approximately 10,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Kane believes he has a gentleman's agreement with Levy to depart this summer having requested a move last year, creating a potential rift if the club do not sanction a sale.

Mason replaced Jose Mourinho after his sacking last month, but having been a former Spurs player prior to working in the academy setup, the 29-year-old has a longstanding friendship with many on the squad, including Kane.

However, he said the pair had not discussed where Kane will play next season, adding: "I speak to Harry pretty much every day. Before I got this job, I spoke to Harry pretty much every day. He is excited along with me about tomorrow.

"Our only discussions have been about the game tomorrow, about the game at the weekend against Wolves. He is excited. We're all excited. We all want to play in front of our fans. It is a home game in the Premier League and we know the importance of it.

"I don't think anything is awkward. There is always speculation around the best players. I'm sure there has been a lot of speculation in the last three or four weeks about the new manager coming in, all of these question marks, which is normal.

"When you are at a big club, that's normal. Our focus is on the next game. My mind hasn't deviated from that. I'm sure Harry's hasn't, or the rest of the group."

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