‘Right time to move on’ – Pablo Zabaleta hoping Harry Kane makes Man City switch

Pablo Zabaleta believes it is the right time for Harry Kane to move on from Tottenham and would love to see the England captain join his old club Manchester City before the transfer window shuts.

Kane’s current club beat Pep Guardiola’s City 1-0 in their Premier League opener on Sunday, with the 28-year-old not involved at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium amid ongoing speculation about his future.

City have now lost their last three competitive matches without scoring, including defeats in the Champions League final to Chelsea and Community Shield to Leicester, which has put more pressure on Guardiola to sign a striker following the exit of Sergio Aguero.

Kane has been heavily linked with a big-money transfer to City and Zabaleta would like to see the prolific frontman move to the Etihad.

Zabaleta told the PA news agency: “We’ll see if the money is there and will splash the money for Harry Kane but will be nice to see him playing for City.

“He’s in the right moment for him to go to a different club and have different experience, when you look at all the top teams they are looking for players who can score 25 goals a season, you always need players like that.

“Obviously Sergio (Aguero) left the club and they only have Gabriel Jesus as a proper striker but we all know the quality of Kane if you want to win trophies and (he) knows he’s done enough for Spurs and wants to move, maybe City are one of those clubs.”

The reigning Premier League champions have already broken the British transfer record with the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a reported £100million earlier this month.

Kane and Grealish linked up together this summer as part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2020 before falling short against Italy.

Asked if the 25-year-old playmaker was worth the massive price tag, former Argentina defender Zabaleta said: “If you look at the markets these days, maybe yes, but it is still ridiculous but every year it gets worse and worse.

“The money has been increasing massively over the past few years so if you pay £100m for Grealish he is still young so it was a great signing for Man City especially as he can play in a number of different positions.

“Look at the transfer fees these days, they are crazy. It wasn’t like that years ago when I first came to the Premier League and if you want to buy some top player from any club they will ask for big money.”

Zabaleta, who represented City between 2008 and 2017 before joining West Ham, will be back playing at the Etihad in the Soccer Aid for UNICEF celebrity charity match on September 4 and will be on a team which includes Roberto Carlos, Nigel De Jong, Shay Given, Patrice Evra and Usain Bolt, and is managed by Harry Redknapp.

The 36-year-old said: “That’s going to be special, it’s a game that I’m pleased and glad to be part of. We’re going to be playing at the Etihad Stadium, it’s a place I know very well and brings me so much good memories from my time at Manchester City.”

:: Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2021 takes place on Saturday 4th September at the Etihad Stadium. The money raised from this year’s game will help UNICEF fight back against the Covid-19 pandemic by helping to deliver 2 billion vaccines worldwide. Tickets are available at: www.socceraid.org.uk/tickets.