Manchester City will not be paying £150 million (£213m) for Harry Kane, says Micah Richards, with Pep Guardiola expected to move for Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland if spending that kind of money on a striker.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions are expected to be in the market for another forward this summer as they prepare to part with club-record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.
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Tottenham talisman Kane is set to come onto the market as he pushes for a switch away from north London, but Richards doubts that those at the Etihad Stadium will splash the cash on a 27-year-old when there are younger alternatives at Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
What has been said?
The former City defender has told BBC Radio 5 Live, with Manchester United and Chelsea also said to be in the mix for England captain Kane: "Of course he would work at City, he works hard and he scores goals.
"Would they pay £150m for him? No, they wouldn’t.
"They might pay £80m ($114m) or £90m ($128m), but they are not going to get him for that. They would be looking for youth if they were going to spend £150m. They would go for Haaland or Mbappe.
Getty composite"The thing is I think Kane is a perfect suit for Man United. Him and [Edinson] Cavani up front for that one role, one play, one rest, you would have two top strikers.
"Kane would be the number one, with Cavani being managed correctly, because he is 34 and you can see the impact he can have starting, or off the bench.
"I just don’t see Man City being in for him if he is going to cost £150m to be honest."
The bigger picture
Kane will have no shortage of suitors if he does look to sever ties with Spurs this summer, but few clubs can afford to pay what Daniel Levy and Co are looking for.
City form part of that elite group, along with a couple of Premier League rivals, while PSG - under the guidance of former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino - could also come into the mix.
If World Cup winner Mbappe were to leave Parc des Princes in the next window, as he is yet to commit to a contract extension beyond 2022, then Kane would be a proven replacement.
He is, however, still tied to a deal through to 2024 and can expect Spurs to put up a fight regardless of any desire to go in search of long-awaited silverware outside of his current surroundings.