Antonio Conte quashes Man City hopes of signing 'totally committed' Harry Kane
- News Feeds
- 5 January 2022
Pep Guardiola told to look elsewhere in Manchester City striker search.
Antonio Conte appears to have quashed any hopes Manchester City have of signing Harry Kane in January by revealing the England captain is now settled again at Tottenham.
Kane put in a transfer request last summer as he sought the next chapter in his career, and Man City made little secret of their desire to sign him.
However, Tottenham dug their heels in and refused to allow any deal to happen despite Kane's form taking a serious hit as a result.
The striker has rediscovered his goalscoring touch under new boss Conte, though, and the Italian now believes his star man has been fully reintergrated into the Spurs 'project'.
"First of all, we are talking about a really good person and a really good man," Conte said of Kane. "And I think this is the most important thing.
"Because I knew the situation in the summer and, when Harry decided to stay in Tottenham, I found a player totally involved in this project now.
"I am happy to have him in my team because for sure we are talking about the top player, a top striker in the world, and if we want to win or if we want to think to build something to win, Harry must be a point of start.
"This is normal and he knows very well my opinion, but I repeat I'm very happy to work with him and I think that he has enjoyed the time, what we are building with the team and that is all."
Manchester City have dominated the Premier League this season but will be in the market for a striker after losing both Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres to Barcelona.
Conte, though, says they will have to look elsewhere.
"In the summer I followed the situation about Harry and I saw what happened and what could happen," he said.
"The club decided to keep Harry in the team and I think it was a great choice by the owner.
"In this way you are showing you want to try to continue to build something important around one of the best players in your team.
"I followed the situation but now it is not right to look at the past. Now we have to live in the present, which says that Harry is a player at Tottenham and continues to be one of the best players in this team.
"He wants to give 100 per cent in every game and I am totally satisfied with his commitment and the relationship that we have created within the team.
"He is a point of reference in the dressing room and an experienced player. I am totally enthusiastic about his involvement in the team and the Tottenham project."
