Manchester City would be prepared to spend £150m on Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, according to reports.
The saga involving the England captain continues to rumble on with less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining.
Kane is desperate to join City in order to win silverware, something he believes he has a much better chance of doing at the Etihad Stadium.
He was left out of Tottenham’s matchday squad for their 1-0 victory over the Premier League champions on Sunday, ostensibly due to a lack of match fitness.
Daniel Levy, who has long been renowned as a tough negotiator, is said to have slapped a £160m price tag on Tottenham’s talisman.
Previous reports had suggested that City would not be willing to go any higher than £125m, but they may be beginning to change their stance.
According to the Independent, City are now willing to pay up to £150m for the 28-year-old.
That would shatter the British transfer record that the Citizens broke earlier in the window when they paid £100m for Jack Grealish.
The report adds that while Levy was once steadfast in his position that Kane is not for sale, there are signs that he is beginning to shift his position.
He believes a transfer may now be more palatable to the Tottenham fan base, many members of which have criticised Kane for his handling of the situation.
It is thought that a bid of £150m would be enough to open negotiations, although it is not expected to be sufficient without the inclusion of various add-ons.
In the meantime Kane could make his first appearance of the season when Tottenham visit Wolves on Sunday.
It is a difficult situation for Nuno Espirito Santo to deal with in the first few weeks of his Spurs tenure.
But last weekend’s impressive victory over City has at least restored some sense of optimism for the campaign ahead.