Glen Johnson has urged Chelsea to launch an ambitious transfer swoop for England captain Harry Kane next summer to bolster their attacking unit.
Kane has enjoyed a barnstorming start his third season at Bayern Munich, notching up 11 goals and three assists in his first six Bundesliga games.
Despite that, the 32-year-old’s long-term future at the German giants is far from certain with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Additional reports suggested that Kane has a £56.7million release clause that can be activated at the end of this season leading to speculation that the Englishman could plot a move back to the Premier League.
But while Thomas Frank insisted he would welcome Kane back to Tottenham, Johnson believes that it is Chelsea who are best positioned to pull off an audacious swoop for the England captain.
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The Blues may have signed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap last summer in search of more attacking firepower, but Johnson believes that his former side are still ‘crying out’ for an experienced goalscorer like Kane.
‘I think if Harry Kane is ready to come back to the Premier League, it’s Chelsea who should make the move for him,’ he told 10bet.
‘They’re obviously crying out for that kind of player, the way they play. They’re a bit more focused on a central striker, and Arsenal would probably play too much tiki-taka to be the right club for him.
‘Liverpool have Alexander Isak and Manchester City have Haaland, so Chelsea makes the most sense if he leaves Bayern Munich.
‘I don’t think Harry Kane would want to go back to Tottenham. I think that story is finished for him and the club.
‘He left for a reason, to go and win trophies. He won’t really be able to do that at Spurs if he returns, so why would he go back now?
‘I think for Kane, it doesn’t make sense, it would be like going back to a lit firework. It could blow up in his face. The situation is what it is, and he should keep moving forward in his career now.’
Kane, however, recently sought to dampen speculation that he would make a return to the English top-flight, and instead said he would be open to extending his stay at Bayern beyond his current contract.
‘In terms of staying longer I could definitely see that,’ Kane said. ‘I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.
‘Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes, what we achieve together. We are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else.
‘In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back. Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.
‘I am fully all in with Bayern. If there was a conversation about extending then we will see, but I have still got this season and another season. It is not like I am in my last year, it is not like there is any panic.
‘I am calm, I love the manager at Bayern and as long we are improving and I am improving then I am happy to see what we can achieve.’
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