Man City have already made an initial offer worth £100m for Tottenham striker Harry Kane; City are open to including players in addition to the cash offer, but the bid is expected to be rejected; Kane has told Spurs he wants to leave this summer - with Man Utd and Chelsea also interested
Wednesday 7 July 2021 10:55, UK
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are being priced out of signing a replacement striker for Sergio Aguero this summer.
Ciy have already made an opening bid worth £100m for Tottenham's Harry Kane as they look to replace Aguero, who has moved to Spanish side Barcelona on a free transfer.
Sky Sports News exclusively reported in May that Kane had told Spurs he wanted to leave this summer, with Manchester United and Chelsea also interested.
But Guardiola, who is also interested in signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, admits he may have to make do with what he already has because the demands are too great for City to meet.
"At the prices (quoted) we are not going to buy any strikers. It is impossible, we cannot afford it," Guardiola told Catalan network TV3.
"All clubs are struggling financially, we are not an exception. We have Gabriel (Jesus) and Ferran (Torres) who have been incredible in this position.
"We have young players in the academy and we play many times with a false nine. There is more of a chance we aren't going to buy a striker for next season.
"We'll do whatever we can do in the transfer window and if we can't, we'll still have the squad that has won the league three times in four years and reached the Champions League final."
Kane, the England captain, is said to be fully focused on the Euros, with a decision on his club future not expected before the conclusion of the tournament.
He is valued at upwards of £120m and Tottenham are keen to keep him despite the 27-year-old believing he has a gentleman's agreement with Daniel Levy.
Tottenham's new managing director of football Fabio Paratici wants to keep Harry Kane at the club, but says he has not spoken to the forward about his future while he represents England at the Euros.
Kane has three years remaining on his Spurs deal and despite his status as one of the Premier League's most prolific strikers, topping the scoring charts with 23 goals in the top flight last term, is yet to win a major trophy in his career.
Juventus' former transfer chief Paratici has described Kane as "one of the best strikers in the world" and wants the forward to remain at Tottenham beyond the summer transfer window.
Paratici told Sky in Italy: "Keeping him is not just my goal, it's our goal as a club.
"I can't wait to watch him play live, I've been really lucky in the past years because I've watched a lot of top players and strikers, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, and many more which now I forgot about.
"Right now, he's one of the best strikers in the world. He's a complete player, really special. His physique is that of a real number nine, a true poacher, but he also has an incredibly refined technique.
"He is able to shoot with both feet and also provides many assists - very few people notice this, because he scores so many goals.
"He's a team player, but he's a finisher at the same time, so really I believe he is among the top three in the world.
"I haven't heard from him yet because I don't want to bother the players who are busy at the Euros, it doesn't seem fair to me. They're focused on their own goals with their national teams."
