Real Madrid in hot pursuit of Harry Kane

Real Madrid's summer clear-out has resulted in a massive exodus from the forward line. With no less than four forwards confirmed to be leaving, the club is reportedly making it a priority to sign England captain Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Over the weekend, Los Blancos dropped several bombshells confirming the departures of Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz. The biggest blow came with the confirmation that Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema has also decided to put an end to his 14-year association with the club.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti is now left with limited choices up front, with the Brazilian duo of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes backed up only by the promising but inexperienced Alvaro Rodriguez.

Kane, who has a year left in his contract with Tottenham, has emerged as the top target. Real Madrid previously went after Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland last season, but both deals fell through.

The Frenchman opted to extend his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, and won't be available again until at least 2024. Meanwhile, Haaland has joined Manchester City, and with the club poised to win a treble this season, he isn't likely to be tempted to seek pastures new.

Speaking of trophies, 29-year-old Kane has established himself as a world-class player, but he has yet to win a major trophy. This could be the deciding factor when it comes to his decision to possibly join the 14-time European Champions and 35-time La Liga winners.

Kane has scored 280 goals in 435 appearances for Spurs and is the club's all-time top scorer. On top of that, he is now only 47 goals shy of Alan Shearer's Premier League goalscoring record of 260. If he stays for another two seasons, he could have the opportunity to overtake Shearer. However, he will have a slim chance of winning a major trophy.

Spurs finished only eighth in the Premier League this season, meaning they won't even be in the Champions League in the upcoming campaign. The club is also in a major transition period, with interim boss Ryan Mason expected to make way for Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. Needless to say, the future of the club is unclear, and with Kane now pushing 30, he may need to pull the trigger if he wants to take his career to the next level.

Tottenham Hotspur's opportunity to "cash in" on Harry Kane

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is understandably not keen on letting go of his top scorer. A price tag of at least £100m has reportedly been placed on Kane, which could prove to be a deterrent. Real Madrid is one of the few clubs in Europe that can afford to pay that much for a single player, but club president Florentino Perez will remain cautious after the disastrous investment on Eden Hazard.

Nevertheless, the exits of Benzema, Hazard, Marco Asensio and Mariano Diaz have freed up at least 77m euros (£66m) in Los Blancos' budget. Both Haaland and Mbappe will likely cost much more in 2024, meaning Kane's price tag would almost look like a bargain.

Meanwhile, Tottenham should be considering the sale so that they can cash in on the striker while they still can. If they don't budge, they risk losing him on a free transfer next season. If they sell now, then incoming manager Postecoglou could have a bigger budget to create a squad that he likes.

Former England defender Micah Richards told BBC that Kane's exit might be the best move for Spurs, especially since the squad has become too dependent on the prolific striker. "He's got to let him go. He's got to get as much money as possible for him and allow Spurs to rebuild their team," said Richards.

He pointed out that Kane has been head and shoulders above the rest of the squad at Tottenham, and the club needs to find something more in order to move forward as a team. "They're too reliant on Kane...Sometimes it's frustrating to watch because he's so good at number 10 but you want him further forward at number nine to cause more trouble but he's having to do everything by himself at times," he added.

Richards also said that Kane should be given the chance to show off how good he really is on a different playing field. Despite being considered as one of the best players in the world at the moment, he does not have the silverware to show for it. Real Madrid is a club that challenges for multiple titles every year, and a move to the Spanish capital could elevate Kane to legendary status.

"You can go to the most historic club in football, there's a space for you, you have to go. It's imperative for his career," added Richards.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are also believed to be interested in Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, Chelsea's Kai Havertz and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic. A deal with Borussia Dortmund for England midfielder Jude Bellingham is also believed to be in the works.