Mauricio Pochettino Discusses Harry Kane Future Amid New Contract Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has insisted forward Harry Kane would only leave the club if he agitated for a move amid speculation Spurs are ready to offer the striker a huge pay rise. 

According to Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail, Tottenham will break their wage structure to make Kane one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League by increasing his weekly salary from £110,000 to £200,000.

As noted by Gill, there has been interest in the striker from Real Madrid after his stunning 2017. Speaking about a potential transfer, Pochettino told El Chiringuito (h/t AS, via Liam Prenderville of the Mirror) that he wants Kane around for a while yet.

"If you look at it from a the personal side, if the player asked to go like [Luka] Modric or [Gareth] Bale, we would have to see but today that has not happened," he said. "I hope that [Kane] will be here for many years and bring lots of goals and victories and win some titles, that's what we want."

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Pochettino added that if Madrid were to make an offer at the moment, Spurs would "tell them we do not want to sell him." He also said Kane "doesn't have a price because we love him here."

The Tottenham No. 10 has been exceptional this term and was hailed recently for his goalscoring feats over the course of the previous year. Here is his 2017 summed up:

While he's been prolific in Tottenham colours, the performances from Kane have prompted plenty of talk about the future and whether he can enjoy silverware in north London in the long term.

After all, while the 24-year-old is the top scorer in the 2017-18 Premier League season, Tottenham are not in contention to win the title. Pochettino's side sit in fifth place in the table, 22 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.

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Although Spurs are in much better shape to compete for silverware under Pochettino than in previous years, in the past world-class stars such as Bale and Modric have been tempted to move on. Both have enjoyed remarkable success, winning three UEFA Champions League titles each at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In a recent fans poll in Marca, Madridistas made it clear they would love to secure the Tottenham man.

Offering Kane a bolstered salary would go some way to convincing him his future should be at Spurs. As noted by Gill, the striker earns considerably less than other star strikers in English football's top flight; his wage is on a par with Manchester United's Ashley Young.

It's important Spurs continue to build around Kane and provide Pochettino with the quality needed to push for the top honours.

Kane doesn't seem the type of character who would seek to force a move from Tottenham as things stand, and it's evident he enjoys playing for the club. However, if Madrid were to step up their interest, they're a difficult outfit to ignore.