Tottenham Transfer News: Harry Kane Latest Amid Chelsea, Manchester United Talk

Chelsea and Manchester United have been put on alert after Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane reportedly put his new contract talks on hold at White Hart Lane.

Kane has agreed to halt discussions after the club refused to make him one of the highest earners at White Hart Lane, according to Neil Ashton for the Sun.

The England frontman currently earns £60,000 per week, but there is a feeling at Spurs that "his loyalty is being tested" in recent contract talks, per Ashton.

Spurs have been keen to tie down their star performers to longer-term contracts and, after Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen signed on in September, Kane and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris are the next in line.

According to Ashton, the club are "refusing to offer a deal in line with Kane's England strike partners or even make him one of the highest earners."

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is known for driving a hard bargain, but his reported stance on Kane's new deal is one that threatens to anger Spurs supporters.

Per the report, despite being the club's top marksman and one of the most coveted footballers in world football, Kane earns £35,000 a week less than recent signing Moussa Sissoko.

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His deal runs until 2020, but such a discrepancy has brought Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City into the frame, and the trio of clubs would likely be desperate to capitalise on any uncertainty and pinch the striker.

Kane's career has come a long way in a short space of time, and his importance to Tottenham cannot be underestimated.

As Richard Jolly for ESPN FC wrote of Kane's breakthrough: "[He] has gone from cause celebre to cult hero, from scoring substitute to certain scorer."

If Levy did decide to cash in on Kane, it would be a huge loss for Spurs on the pitch, despite the obvious financial benefit off it.

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As the official Premier League statistics show, Kane has netted 52 times in 92 appearances, including more than 20 in both of the last two seasons.

Kane is Spurs' kingpin—a regular, proven goalscorer at the highest level of the domestic game. Indeed, while the north London club have fared well to reach fifth in the table during his injury absence at the start of the season, the makeup and dynamics of the side's attacking play are completely different when he is not in the side.

Vincent Janssen was signed in the summer for £17 million with the brief to play second fiddle to Kane.

But after being handed an early-season chance to really push Kane for his place, the Dutch striker struggled with the pace of the English game and doesn't look like he fits in well with the approach manager Mauricio Pochettino demands of his players. Indeed, while Kane isn't known for his pace, Janssen appears to have even less.

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Kane's strength and hold-up play bring his fellow attackers into the game and are vital to a well-organised Spurs outfit. Eriksen is one player in particular whose game has been affected by the absence of the Tottenham talisman.

News of the reported standoff between Kane and the club hierarchy will be hard to hear for Spurs fans, who regularly suffer the fate of seeing their best players sold off to keep the profit margins intact. Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Dimitar Berbatov have all been notable exits from White Hart Lane in recent times.

If Kane were to depart, it is unlikely Levy would fund Pochettino with the necessary amount to replace the England striker, and Spurs could find themselves back in the Premier League chasing pack rather than fighting for honours.