Analysing the potential success of Harry Kane’s rumoured Real Madrid move

Karim Benzema has long been the guy Real Madrid are confident they can do better than, but every time they tried to replace him, they were forced to go crawling back to the trusty Frenchman.

The 33-year-old has seen off countless young, promising strikers in his 12 and a half seasons at Santiago Bernabeu, and even midway through his 13th campaign, he is showing few signs of slowing down.

Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata, Jese, Mariano Diaz, Borja Mayoral, Luka Jovic and Raul de Tomas are some of the high profile names Benzema has fought off or outlasted in the Spanish capital, making his place in the team untouchable, and for the time being, irreplaceable.

But there is one man in European football who just might boast the perfect skillset needed to oust the Madrid star from his throne, and help Los Merengues move into a new era.

That man is Harry Kane.

Five years his junior, Kane has consistently been linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur, and given that he is one of the best centre-forwards in world football, it’s only natural that his name is whispered in the same breath as that of Madrid.

But there may be more to this than just heresy and bedtime stories. Zinedine Zidane’s side are believed to be monitoring Kane’s progress this season, as they weigh up the possibility of splashing some serious cash on the England captain in the summer transfer window.

The big question is, would this be a transfer from paradise or another corpse on Benzema’s pile of failed coups? And secondly, would Madrid get value for money in pulling off such a deal?

The first issue to address is the compatibility on the pitch.

For all of Jose Mourinho’s faults (of which there is an ever growing list), we must acknowledge that one of his biggest successes has been the evolution and tweaks made to Kane’s overall game.

12 of his 18 league goals in the 2019/20 campaign came under Mourinho’s tutelage, while his incredible 30 goal contributions (including 13 assists) in 27 league matches this year tell the story of a striker who is now harnessing the maximum from his body.

The Portuguese boss has taught Kane to become more of a team player – not that he was selfish in the first place – but he is now putting his keen eye for a pass and ability to draw defenders out of position to good use.

The striker’s incredible relationship with Son Heung-min, which has yielded a record-breaking 14 goals directly assisted by their partner in crime, shows just how integral he is to their style of play, rather than simply plying his trade as a penalty box poacher.

“The confidence is high, and everyone knows if I get that ball and turn, they have a chance of getting through on goal.”

– Harry Kane

Kane is a brilliant deep-lying forward, who drops into the midfield to receive the ball, and possesses the vision and execution to pick out runners ahead of him, leading to some blistering counter-attacks. And of course, he’s got the desire and timing to get onto the end of those chances he’s kicked off for his teammates.

Finally, and most importantly, would he score goals in La Liga? Yes. Prolifically.

And all of that falls very much in line with the role which Benzema performs at the Bernabeu.

The Frenchman acted as a servant to Cristiano Ronaldo during the nine years they enjoyed together, putting his own appetite for glory to one side, and allowing the team to thrive around him. Even without CR7 in the side, Benzema has continued to put in the hard yards around the pitch, although he is now the main beneficiary in front of goal.

So, as far as playing style goes, there are few better and younger replicas for Madrid to pinch. The only problem is, they wouldn’t be able to ‘pinch’ Kane, as such.

The Spurs star still has another three years remaining on his current contract, which runs until the summer of 2024. If Madrid were to wait until he enters the final 12 months of his deal before pouncing – knowing they could get him for a whole lot cheaper – then they would be snapping up a 30-year-old with plenty of miles on the clock.

And this is also a man who breaks down for at least a month every season. Kane has not made more than 30 league appearances since the 2017/18 season, in which time Benzema has featured 32, 36 and 37 times.

That consistency in attack is what drove Madrid to the title last year, and we can be pretty confident in saying that had Benzema missed only one or two matches more, then Zidane probably would not have been celebrating a league triumph at the end of the season.

If Madrid are looking for someone who will lead the line week in, week out, they should look elsewhere. One factor that may tempt them into splurging even bigger cash on someone like Erling Haaland rather than Kane, is their nightmarish Eden Hazard experience.

The winger arrived from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 as a 28-year-old, and los Blancos stumped up a minimum fee of €100m for the Belgian wizard. However, injuries have curtailed his time in Madrid, meaning he has only managed to make 25 league appearances over two seasons.

Not much bang for their buck.

The prospect of buying another superstar at their peak and potentially missing out on the benefits, only to pick up the wages and the twilight years must linger in the back of their minds.

With Kane likely to command a fee of over £100m, while suffering recurring ankle injuries every winter and missing vital chunks of the season, can they really afford to take that kind of risk in a precarious transfer market?

Probably not. This version of Kane is ideal for Madrid and their style – if only he had been moulded into such a player two or three years prior.