Harry Kane now faces the decision that has become the backdrop to every move in his recent career, after Tottenham Hotspur agreed a deal in principle to sell the England captain to Bayern Munich.
Kane has maintained his magnificent form for club and country, becoming record scorer for both, while playing amid a constant swirl of transfer speculation that has involved Manchester City, Manchester United then – in far more concrete fashion – Bayern Munich.
He has not shown any inclination to extend his career-long stay at Spurs with only a year left on his contract, forcing chairman Daniel Levy to bend his “not for sale” stance and choose between collecting £86.4m now or potentially nothing next summer.
In the end, Bayern’s succession of offers finally opened the door to leave Kane pondering the various options open to him before the 30-year-old, who has scored 280 goals in 435 games for Spurs, makes the biggest decision of his career.
Does he stay at Spurs another season to see out his contract, leaving him with the enticing target of, in time, becoming the Premier League’s highest scorer with his current tally 213 second behind record holder Alan Shearer’s 260?
Does he give himself another year to decide whether, after a club career without a trophy, Spurs might finally be heading in the direction of silverware – or wait to take up one of the Premier League offers he would be certain to receive next summer?
Does he make the switch to Bayern Munich now, with its almost cast-iron guarantee of at least one trophy and an improved salary, and move to Germany where the arrival of England’s captain and record scorer would be a huge coup for brand Bundesliga?
Kane’s legacy is already assured for Spurs and England but the idea of adding that Premier League record to his list of personal achievements may just give a player who delivers more than a cursory nod to the history books pause for thought.
Bayern, however, offer new horizons in the season before the Euros are held in Germany – and to use an old Spurs saying “the game is about glory”, so this is an opportunity to sample some of the success that has avoided him in north London, despite his own consistently magnificent performances.
Kane is understood to have been highly impressed by the early work of new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou although the word has been for some time that he is very tempted by life under former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
And would Bayern have gone to so much time and trouble to agree a deal with Levy without at least having a clear idea of whether the player wants to join them or not?
One other factor may be the timing, with Kane so close to the start of a new Premier League season.
For Spurs, this a double-edged sword and one that has been wielded with very poor timing with the great talisman – labelled proudly as “one of our own” by his adoring fans – possibly being lost to the club with the new campaign about to start.
Levy can be considered to have dealt in financial realities by accepting a hefty fee now as opposed to possibly nothing in a year’s time, but this could not be dressed up as anything other than a devastating blow to Spurs in the playing context.
In their recent reduced circumstances and struggles under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, Kane has risen above a morass of mediocrity and discontent to maintain skyscraper standards – leading from the front, one player they could rely on come what may.
If he is to go now, while it would clear the air of the constant conjecture that has already surrounded Postecoglou since his appointment from Celtic, it would leave a huge hole in the Spurs side.
Many Spurs fans, even though it would cause great pain, would very reluctantly accept it if Kane decided to make the move to Munich in search of new challenges and trophies. They know they could not have asked any more from him in the lean years when success, most significantly when the Premier League was lost to Leicester City in 2016 and they were beaten by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League Final, eluded them.
Other Spurs supporters may well have wanted Levy to simply close down Bayern’s interest and risk Kane leaving on a free while believing he still represents their best chance of returning to the Champions League with a place in the top four this coming season.
Some may even see it as the chance for a fresh start and reset – but it is a fresh start and reset they would never willingly make.
Brazil striker Richarlison, who has yet to make the desired impact since his £60m-move from Everton last summer, is the prime candidate to step into the breach initially if Kane does decide to move. But surely those behind the scenes at Spurs have targets in mind given this is not a situation that has been sprung upon them.
It would also be the end of the telepathic partnership between Kane and Son Heung-min that has brought such rich dividends over the years. Kane has had 24 assists for Son, and Son 23 assists for Kane. This is proof Spurs would not simply be losing as close to a guarantee of Premier League goals as it is possible to get, but also a complete forward who is a maker as well as taker of chances.
This is why Spurs have been so reluctant to countenance any sort of deal until now and why Bayern are desperate to see all their groundwork, tough negotiating and heavy financial outlay rewarded with the nod of approval from Kane.
And it is why the decision Kane is now weighing up carries such importance for so many.
