PSG must leave ageing, trophyless Harry Kane to Bayern Munich this summer - the Spurs star isn't the right striker to replace Kylian Mbappe (and the ultras want a Frenchman!)

Kane is an excellent finisher and top-tier playmaker. Against Ligue 1's often attacker-friendly backlines, it is not inconceivable that the England captain would score 30+ goals and assist at least 10. Chances are, he will break records from the first week of the Ligue 1 season.

But football isn't often so simple. Players come with their own histories and issues. And in Kane's case, there are a fair few points of concern for the Parisians. And perhaps the most pressing is his legs. At 29, and soon to be 30, Kane isn't ancient, but his injury history, at his age, is something of a red flag.

While Kane hasn't missed games in bunches, it is no secrete that he has dealt with ankle problems for years. As Spurs' star player, he has often soldiered through contests with gritted teeth. At some point, though, this will inevitably catch up to him. It's not unreasonable for PSG to fear that it could happen on their watch.

In Neymar, they already have a perennially injured star player. They don't need a second.

Perhaps the advantage here for PSG is a potentially strong negotiating position. Kane is out of contract next summer and has shown no indication that he is willing to pen a new deal at Tottenham. Although he hasn't publicly commented on the situation, it is widely understood — if not expected — that Kane could leave Spurs in the coming weeks. Theoretically, that gives potential suitors an upper hand in negotiations. Indeed, if Levy has to sell, his asking price will, in theory, be lower.

But he is a shrewd negotiator who could well spark a bidding war between two of Europe's richest clubs. Bayern's last offer was reportedly a modest and swiftly-rejected £80 million ($103.3m). But a third is set to come. Kane could still be a £100m player without PSG even getting involved. And if they do enter the fray, the price is only going to go up.

There might have been a hope here that Kane could come on the cheap. Here is a player on an expiring contract, who wants out and is willing to go abroad. Levy might just have had to undercut the value that his on-field magic demands, but now he can push the price even higher. PSG could certainly outbid Bayern here (this is a team who pays its current star player €70m ($75m/£60m) just for showing up). Still, even they will have a limit.

There's also the question of timeline here. New coach Luis Enrique has been brought in to oversee a rebuild of sorts. Sporting advisor Luis Campos has worked diligently in the transfer market to date, only spending big money in positions of need, but mostly focusing on younger signings. Manuel Ugarte, their most expensive player of the summer at €60m (£51.6m/$64m), is yet to turn 23. And while Lucas Hernandez wasn't cheap - or particularly prudent - at €50m (£43/$56m), the Parisians are short at centre-back.

A look at the squad elsewhere suggests that a youth revolution is projected in Paris; Nuno Mendes is 21, Vitinha is 22, Achraf Hakimi, somehow, is still only 23. Even Nordi Mukiele, Renato Sanches and Gianluigi Donnarumma are all 25 or under. Add 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery, and this is an overwhelmingly young side.

There is conflict in the sense that the Parisians are expected to compete for Europe's biggest trophies with a youthful side. Kane the leader will certainly aid that effort. But his signature would be a short-term proposition for a club that has aspirations that last well into the future.

Kane's quality is undeniable. His 213 Premier League goals need no introduction. Neither do his duo of 30-goal seasons in the English top flight, nor the fact that he is England's all-time top goalscorer. But a trophy cabinet that includes three runner's-up medals and the Audi Cup is perhaps a concern in Paris. These big-money signings should be not only complete players, but also winners, and if there is something that is missing from Kane's Spurs career, it's tangible success.

This is, of course, not Kane's fault. It's difficult to see how a player who scores so many goals can be blamed for his team's inability to win major honours. Still, Kane has failed to deliver in some of the biggest games. He was ineffective as England lost Euro 2020 on penalties. He probably shouldn't have played the 2019 Champions League final after forcing himself back to full fitness from a familiar ankle ailment. And his late penalty miss against France at the World Cup will live long in the collective English footballing conscience.

If this is about winning or legacy, Kane comes with few guarantees. He might add some medals to that dusty shelf, but the big one, the Champions League glory that PSG seek, is less likely to come from a player who hasn't won it.

Perhaps the most fundamental point of contention here is Kane himself. Given his loyalty to the club, attachment to the Spurs fans, and defining role in the landscape of English football, he will have some freedom to pick a side on the continent. And in many ways, Bayern are the perfect fit. Thomas Tuchel's team badly need a No.9, and Kane would figure to work well with their litany of crafty wingers and marauding midfielders.

Tuchel is also a manager with sufficient Premier League experience to understand Kane and, more broadly, is more equipped to reach a player with an English background. That perhaps sounds simple, but in the rare instance of an English international heading to Europe from the Premier League, it could prove to be important. Bayern are also probably more likely to be challengers for the Champions League. Kane joining them would figure to move the Bavarians even closer to European silverware — with a manager at the helm who has already won the thing himself.

PSG, though, is a different proposition. There is money to consider, as well as the guarantee of league trophies, and the alluring spotlight of playing for one of the world's biggest brands. But if success on the European stage is the aim here, PSG might not be the answer. Indeed, the latest reports suggest Kane has made up his mind in that regard, and is reluctant to swap London for Paris.

PSG's ultras are a complicated group. They seem to make headlines every week for their passionate, if often lewd, actions towards the club and its players. They camped outside Neymar's house calling on him to leave the club; they gathered outside the PSG headquarters, insulting Messi and asking Nasser Al-Khelaifi to step down as chairman; and, most recently, a small group of them threatened to 'cut off three fingers' from Dusan Vlahovic's hand if PSG signed him from Juventus.

While the team have remained stout against their demands, the fanbase simply cannot be entirely ignored here. It has long been the opinion of not only the fans but also the big names around the club that PSG should provide a stage for France's best talent. Their argument has some ground, too, mostly due to the fact that some of the best French players in recent memory started out in the PSG academy.

While it is hard to fault a club for letting youngsters go, an organisation with limitless funds should be able to bring them back. That is, in many ways, why Mbappe was so dearly embraced. It's obviously not Kane's fault that he doesn't have French citizenship, but if this is a signing for both success and morale, then there might be other options to consider.

And PSG's supposed biggest transfer target does indeed fit that criteria. Eintracht Frankfurt forward, and France international, Randal Kolo Muani has been the Parisians' No.1 option in the market for a few months now. And it's easy to see why. He's more direct than Kane, an avid runner of the channels and natural crosser. While he cannot finish nor pass with the same skill or reliability, this is a 24-year-old, 20-goal-per-season striker, who will likely improve under the coaching of a top-tier manager.

The exact price remains a sticking point, but the latest talk suggests that the German club would accept an offer of around £80m ($103m) - the exact price of Bayern's recently rejected bid for Kane. It is not inconceivable that PSG could get their hands on someone younger, quicker, and more likely to appease the fans, for far less. The Parisians are not ones to cut costs, or hunt for bargains - their abject failure in tying Mbappe down to a remotely team-friendly contract says enough - but this is a shrewd way to save money.

There are other names, too. Vlahovic has been considered, as has Napoli's Victor Osimhen - but Kolo Muani seems to be the perfect fit.

It is admittedly easy to see why Kane might be coveted in Paris. He's a world-class finisher, with top-level playmaking instincts, who can pretty much slide into any system. He is a rare striker who can be among the best No.9s out there without needing to be the focal point of the team. Any club would want him, under the right circumstances.

For PSG, in fact, it makes even more sense. The Parisians have lacked creativity from the midfield for some time now, and if Mbappe is presumably going to follow the Inter Miami-bound Lionel Messi through the exit, they will need goals from somewhere. PSG could probably still win the league without Kane - assuming Neymar stays fit - but who wouldn't want that quality of player?

However, this isn't merely about goals, assists, or kit sales. PSG's signings this summer seem more calculated, perhaps even vaguely sensible. Kane would break that mould. It will undoubtedly hurt to see a top-tier striker go elsewhere - especially given that the Parisians could quite easily afford him. But if this is to be a new era, Kane is not the player to mark it.