Tottenham Hotspur are now “betting heavily” on FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi as a replacement for Harry Kane, having already tabled an offer of €24m (£21m), however the Portuguese side are holding out for €30m (£26m), according to reports.

What’s the latest on Harry Kane’s future?

Bayern Munich have had another bid for Kane rejected, and time may be running out for the German champions to sign the striker, who wants to be settled before Tottenham’s Premier League opening against Brentford on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou recently informed the media that he, too, wants a decision made sooner rather than later so that he knows where he needs to bolster his squad ahead of the new season, but the striker’s future is uncertain.

The Lilywhites can now sit patiently and see if Bayern were being genuine about their third offer being the final one, though they will of course need to line up potential replacements in case the Bavarians come back and meet the price tag all of a sudden.

As a result, the Lilywhites have supposedly made a bid of €24 million (£21 million) for Taremi, slightly shy of Porto’s asking price of €30 million (£26 million), according to Portuguese media (via Sport Witness).

The striker has “always” wanted to play in England, but Porto will not make it easy for him to leave, and he is protected by a €60 million (£52 million) release clause in his contract, which expires next year.

Jorge Mendes is intermediating the talks between Tottenham and Porto, delivering the first bid, and it seems as though the north Londoners only need to increase their offer by £5m to secure the Iranian’s signature.

Who is Mehdi Taremi?

The 31-year-old forward began his career in his native Iran, but it is with Porto that he has begun to build a name for himself, scoring 31 goals and providing ten assists in all competitions last season.

Seven of those goal contributions occurred in the Champions League, suggesting that the Iran international, who has 33 goals for his country, is more than capable of playing at the greatest level, and he has gotten widespread appreciation from the media.

Back in March, journalist Zach Lowy claimed the 6 foot 1 striker could be “the best Asian player in football right now”, as a result of Heung-Min Son’s poor form last season, and he could be a very good signing at around £26m, despite his age.

Taremi, on the other hand, is unlikely to be a long-term substitute for Kane, and there may be some concern that he has yet to play in one of Europe’s “top five” leagues at this stage of his career.

If Spurs lose their captain this summer, it is critical that the money they get be re-invested in another great striker, and it is questionable whether the FC Porto striker falls into that category.