If ever there was any doubt over the authenticity of Harry Kane’s desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer, it was clear in the way he bid farewell to the club’s home fans that he fully intends to move on from North London. The emotion in the face of the 27-year-old was no ploy. He believes he will be gone by the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

Kane, however, accepts persuading Daniel Levy to let him leave will be difficult. The Spurs chairman is one of the toughest negotiators in soccer, to the point where other clubs shy away from pursuing transfer targets for fear of having to deal with Levy. He is the thing standing between Kane and his ambition to win titles and trophies elsewhere.

Tottenham, and Levy, owe Kane the chance to decide his own future, though. Over the last eight seasons, he has been the club’s best, most consistent goalscorer of the Premier League PINC era scoring 166 goals in 242 appearances. Only six players - Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole, Sergio Aguero, Frank Lampard and Thierry Henry - have scored more.

He might not have had the captain’s armband, but Kane has been a spiritual leader for Spurs. He has given everything for the club even when his level has been higher than the team around. That is certainly the case right now, with Kane winning his third Golden Boot in a season Tottenham failed to even qualify for the Europa League.

At 27, it’s now or never for Kane to realise his lofty ambitions. His signing of a new six-year contract in 2018 proved he believed he could achieve those ambitions at Tottenham Hotspur, the club he loves. At the time, Spurs were improving season-on-season under Mauricio Pochettino. A year later, they would reach the Champions League final.

A great deal has changed since then, though. Tottenham have fallen a long way from the top of the English and European game in the last two seasons. They face a rebuild that will likely take years to go through. Kane, however, doesn’t have years to give to another rebuild and another project. 

Season after season, Kane has delivered for Spurs. Now it’s time for the North London club to repay one of their greatest ever players by giving him freedom this summer. Tottenham are entitled to demand market value for one of the most reliable goalscorers in Europe, but Levy shouldn’t stand in Kane’s way.

Look at how Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to leave for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese forward had expressed his desire to depart Old Trafford for the Spanish capital the summer previous. While Ferguson wasn’t willing to grant that wish, he did give Ronaldo his word that an offer would be accepted a year later.

Tottenham should follow this precedent in their treatment of Kane. What’s more, the money one of the two Manchester clubs or Chelsea would pay for the 27-year-old could fund the rebuild Spurs desperately need. In the medium to long term, there could actually be a benefit to selling Kane, even if it’s to a direct rival.

Kane and Spurs both find themselves at a crossroads this summer. They have been on this path together for a long time, but there is now a fork in the road that could see them part ways. Tottenham might not want their best player to leave, but he has earned the opportunity to determine which route to take.