Bayern Munich have made "important contact" with Tottenham Hotspur over a move for Harry Kane and have no intention of giving up their pursuit of the centre-forward, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Is Kane joining Bayern?
Having seen two bids rebuffed already in their hunt for Kane, Bayern are showing no signs of dropping their interest in the England forward.
Kane wants a move to the German champions and as long as that remains the case, Spurs are going to find it difficult to keep the 29-year-old in north London amid Bayern interest.
However, Tottenham, and most significantly Daniel Levy, know the drill by now. They have been here many times before with Kane's future the subject of focus every single time the transfer window rolls around.
This time it may be tougher to halt Kane's exit with Romano claiming that Bayern have no intention of stopping their pursuit of the attacker having made "important contact" with Spurs over a deal.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano said: "We can confirm what has been reported tonight, so there was a very important contact today between Bayern and Tottenham to discuss about Harry Kane.
"This is important because Bayern are trying their best. This is very clear. They offered €70m plus add-ons almost 20 days ago, rejected. Then €80m plus add-ons, also rejected by Tottenham. The message from Tottenham has always been clear: they will fight to keep Harry Kane at the club. They want to offer him a new deal.
"Ange Postecoglou is trying to convince the player about the project by speaking to him directly at the training ground, but Bayern are still trying. Thomas Tuchel is behind this story because Tuchel is really pushing to have Harry Kane and Bayern and Tottenham had a conversation. At the moment, it's still not something like a done deal, an agreement."
He added: "Bayern told in a very clear way to Tottenham that they don't have an intention to stop. They want Harry Kane and they want to try again. So, the feeling of sources is that Bayern tried to explore the real conditions from Daniel Levy to sign Harry Kane."
Bayern's persistence may prove increasingly difficult for Levy to resist as Kane's contract expires next summer and he is keen on a move to Bavaria.
However, losing such a talismanic and significant figure would massively disrupt Postecoglou's rebuild and leave the Lilywhites with an uncertain season ahead of them without Kane's consistent goals.
Kane netted 30 times in 38 Premier League games despite Tottenham's lacklustre performances and eighth-placed finish, and Spurs have been indebted to him for saving their skin countless times in recent seasons.
Who are Tottenham signing?
Kane's exit will be of huge concern to Tottenham supporters, but they can be extremely satisfied with the business they have already conducted in the window.
James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon have all arrived at Hotspur Way, while the loans of Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski have been made permanent.
While any new signings may be influenced by potential outgoings, there is a sense that Postecoglou is nowhere near done in the market.
Priority for the time being is a new centre-back, with Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven top of the club's list of targets. The Bundesliga pair would both help solidify a leaky defence and offer Postecoglou a central defender that is comfortable playing out from the back.
If Kane were to leave then Spurs would obviously require a ready-made replacement and someone they could potentially invest in is Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, although the striker would likely cost an absolute fortune.