Real Madrid need to sign a new striker this summer. The profile of striker they sign depends on what Karim Benzema decides to do with his future, but there are increasing signs that the legendary No. 9, who always said he would rather leave than take a spot in the team if he can no longer play at the elite level every week, is tempted by a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
If Benzema leaves Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur superstar Harry Kane becomes an even more enticing option for the Merengues. Kane has been linked on and off again, but this summer feels like the right time for Kane to move after Spurs inexplicably wasted an incredible 30-goal season and did not even qualify for European football.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of Harry Kane as a Real Madrid transfer target in the summer 2023 transfer window.
Pro: The best all-around striker in the game
For years, Karim Benzema held the distinction as the very best all-around striker in world football, just as capable of assisting and starting moves as he was scoring. However, many Tottenham fans brought up Harry Kane as a possible candidate for this honor.
Now that injuries and age have taken their toll on Benz, Kane has taken that mantle. He is one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the world, as evidenced by having two 30-goal seasons in the Premier League, but he is also a great creator. And he had to be this season, since he had no real creative help from his teammates and would often have to make his own chances.
Kane averaged 1.5 key passes, 1.5 fouls drawn, and 1.1 dribbles completed per game in the 2022/23 Premier League season. Two seasons ago, when his team was more competent, he had a whopping 14 assists.
If Real Madrid want to sign a well-rounded striker to replace Benzema, there is no better option than Kane in that respect.
Con: No return on investment
Harry Kane won’t come cheap. He is one of the world’s best players in the prime of his career and means everything to Tottenham as the greatest player in their history. And those are not words I say cheaply, because, yes, Tottenham have had a number of a great players over the years.
Let’s say Kane costs 100 million euros. Spurs may try to push for more than that, but since Kane is 29, it’s hard to see someone bidding more than that. Clubs like Manchester City and PSG that could conceivably push the bid higher aren’t really in the market for Kane in 2023.
Real Madrid are willing to spend 100 million euros on players, as they will likely exceed that number to get Jude Bellingham from Dortmund. The difference is that Bellingham is a 19-year-old coming off a Player of the Season-caliber campaign. Kane has been around as brilliant, but he is 10 years older.
Because Madrid are not a state-run club and do not have the same revenue coming in as Premier League powerhouses, they have to be even more careful when spending. Each transfer needs to fit a certain financial sensibility. Veterans come for free or on cut-rate deals, young prospects with future elite value are worth gambling on, and top young stars who can excel for a decade are worth paying a premium for.
Kane’s transfer valuation is only going to go down. From that perspective, Real would be paying 100 million euros for three to, if they are lucky, five years of top play and no recouped fee thereafter.
Pro: Prime now, then transition to Endrick
The Real Madrid moto, though, is not about finances but about winning. It is about excellence. Los Blancos have had to tweak things in order to realistically set up a sustainable club in the modern footballing environment, but they could decide to make an exception for Harry Kane.
After all, the 9 is the most important position in Madrid historically. No club has as rich of a history of great strikers as the Merengue club, which is probably partially why they have the most European Championships ever.
Kane is an elite, all-around 9. He is one of the best in the world, and every starter at Madrid, with their ambition of winning the Champions League every single season, needs to be one of the best in the world.
Real Madrid signed Endrick from Palmeiras this past winter as their latest investment in a future superstar, and they intend to give him every opportunity to fulfill his sky-high potential. By signing Kane, Endrick can be eased along these next few seasons until he is ready physically and mentally to have a shot at being the starting 9. And if Real win a couple of Champions Leagues along the way, the return on investment of 100 million euros will actually be met sporting-wise. If Endrick comes good, they won’t care about Kane’s “re-sale value”.
Con: Is there a better market option?
That said, Real Madrid do have a decision to make about how they want to play as a club going forward. Keeping Carlo Ancelotti means keeping the status quo tactically, so Harry Kane gets a plus there as that all-around 9. However, part of what makes Carletto such a legend is that he has never married himself to one tactical system or idea. Therefore, any 9 could fit.
Victor Osimhen stands out as another elite striker Real Madrid could consider. He may cost a little more than Kane, but their prices will be fairly similar. Osimhen is 24 and is also very much capable of leading a team, putting away the chances he should, and creating some from nothing.
A different player than Kane, Osimhen is a more vertical striker and does much of his work off the ball. That would necessitate a different style, but it could actually lead to more space for the wingers – and more goals for Real Madrid in transition. With 25 goals and 4 assists on the 2022/23 Serie A season, Osimhen has been plenty productive. Because he is five years younger, he also fits the profile of the kind of high-quality, young player Real Madrid pay a premium for.
There is also the endless obsession with the idea of signing Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland. In the case of the former, he is not a 9. In the case of the latter, he may never be available if he has fallen in love with Manchester City. But Florentino Pérez dreams of Galácticos like these, and, therefore, he could be tempted to, as seems to be his M.O. of late, go with the very economical option (such as Joselu or Roberto Firmino) and wait to throw up a prayer-shot for Haaland or Mbappé.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.