Harry Kane is Real Madrid's best option among list of candidates to lead their line

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  • With every passing day – and every goal Harry Kane buries – it becomes more a question of ‘when’ Tottenham‘s talisman will join Real Madrid rather than ‘if’.

    Karim Benzema has consistently fallen short of the targets a Los Blancos marksman should be hitting and Cristiano Ronaldo desperately needs someone to share the goal-scoring burden with, much the way Lionel Messi can rely on Luis Suarez at Barcelona for example.

    Real Madrid’s endless resources means they’re able to cast a wide net and choose from the lavish talent on offer. Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are some of the names linked to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

    So how does Kane match-up to the rest of the candidates out there?

    HARRY KANE

    If there’s one English player primed to take La Liga by storm, it’s Harry Kane. The Spurs striker has scored goals for fun over the last four seasons with the current campaign on course to be his most prolific yet.

    Kane is more than comfortable leading the line on his own. While he’s not a traditional lumbering, robust number nine despite his towering frame, he does use his physique to his advantage.

    He isn’t gifted with pace but is a powerful runner and relentlessly works the channels. His movement on the other hand is among the best, playing nicely into arguably his finest quality – instinct.

    The 24-year-old is a goal-poacher for the ages. Couple that with his sharp-shooting, clinical nature and remarkable persistence, and he’s one lean, mean, goal-scoring machine.

    He’s just the kind of ruthless goalscorer Madrid have longed for to lead their attack and with years on his side, he will only get better, and that’s a scary thought.

    Rating – 9/10

    Harry Kane

    Harry Kane

    ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

    Lewandowski is just as compatible with Madrid as Kane. That’s largely because the two strikers share many of their best qualities. The Pole however is the more accomplished. Kane has been rising steadily over the last four years but the Bayern Munich man has done it over a decade, breaking the 40-goal barrier in two separate seasons.

    In that time, Lewandowski has racked up plenty of silverware as well while Kane is still on a quest for his first trophy. You could say that the 29-year-old is everything Kane aspires to be in five years’ time and a move to Madrid could be the way forward.

    In the Bayern striker though, Madrid would get the complete package. Someone with all the ability and experience to back it up, on the biggest stages as well.

    Of course, reports linking Lewandowski to Madrid have faded of late, with logic perhaps prevailing, however unlikely that may seem for transfer season. There’s no reason for Bayern to sell their star striker and to one of their main competitors for European supremacy no less.

    For Madrid as well, they may be missing a trick if they pursue Lewandowski. When presented with the opportunity to recruit a new frontman to lead them for years to come, opting for someone just eight months younger than Benzema, however proven, would be a little short sighted.

    Rating – 8/10

    Robert Lewandowski

    Robert Lewandowski

    ANTOINE GRIEZMANN

    With a release clause of only €100m ready to be triggered in the summer, Griezmann makes a lot of sense for Real Madrid. The Frenchman knows what La Liga is all about and can certainly take over the mantle from Ronaldo as Madrid’s main man for the next five years or so.

    The forward has been a creative spark for Atletico Madrid since joining from Real Sociedad in 2014 and has flourished in a relatively rigid system under Diego Simeone. As such, it’s reason to suggest that he could have far more joy with Real’s more expansive brand of football.

    While he doesn’t fit the bill of a traditional lone striker, he brings something different to the role and should Zinedine Zidane choose to go with two up front, the France international has plenty to offer in that capacity as well.

    His particular skillset, whether it involves his ability to drop into pockets of space, link-up superbly with his team-mates or using his burst of acceleration to carry the ball forward, Griezmann offers a different dimension to Real.

    Unlike an out-and-out striker, the 26-year-old poses an unpredictable threat. His ability to drop deep or drift wide and be just as dangerous from any of those positions makes him difficult to keep quiet.

    Simply put, raiding their city rivals offers the potential for Real to explore new dimensions in their attacking play that they don’t even know exists at the moment. However, it could just as easily fail to click, leaving them in a search of a focal point in attack yet again.

    Rating – 7/10

    Antoine Griezmann

    Antoine Griezmann

    PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG

    The Gabon international extended his contract at Borussia Dortmund only in December, signing a deal until 2021. However, the links to Madrid won’t go away.

    Aubameyang’s main draw is his searing pace but his ability to find the back of the net with such consistency over the last four seasons has made him one of the top strikers in Europe.

    However, unlike Kane or Lewandowski, the Dortmund man isn’t exactly a natural goal-poacher or the most clinical of finishers. The feeling is that much of his threat will be neutralised once he loses his pace, while his link-up play isn’t up to the standards of the others on this list.

    In a team that also features Ronaldo, the striker would have to be intelligent with his movement to work with the Portuguese star and Aubameyang perhaps isn’t the best candidate in that regard.

    Rating – 6/10

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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