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The long-winded, and ultimately unsuccessful, pursuit of Harry Kane dominated Manchester City's transfer headlines this summer. 

Despite the club smashing their transfer record to bring in Jack Grealish from Aston Villa earlier in the window, it was clear Kane was their number one striker target to replace Sergio Agüero - who joined Barcelona upon the expiry of his contract.

After months of speculation, Harry Kane himself was the one who ultimately signalled the end of negotiations, by releasing a statement on Twitter.

The England international wrote, "It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I've had in the last few weeks. I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success."

It now seems the case that Manchester City will not be going back for round two when the transfer window reopens in January, or possible even next summer. 

This is according to the information of transfer insider Dean Jones, writing in his latest column for Eurosport this week, stating that the Blues are 'unlikely' to pursue a move for Harry Kane next summer. 

With the uncertainty over the future of Bernardo Silva still an unresolved issue, despite the Portugal international remaining at the club this season, Manchester City's priority is to focus on attacking options, with Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal still a key target.

The 24-year-old has been linked with the Etihad Stadium on numerous occasions in the past. In 243 appearances for Sociedad, the winger has scored 68 goals and provided 45 assists.

There is also an understanding in various quarters that Oyarzabal has a release clause embedded into his contract at the La Liga club, which may align itself with Manchester City's transfer policy - with the Premier League club known for their willingness to meet such clauses, as seen in the case of the likes of Rodrigo and Jack Grealish.

Manchester City's Director of Football Txiki Begiristain is said to be a 'huge admirer' of the Spaniard and has been watching his progress in La Liga very closely.

The report adds that Pep Guardiola is very cautious about which players would fit into his system, so any links will be closely monitored by himself and assessed as the season continues. 

This article first appeared on FanNation City Xtra and was syndicated with permission.

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