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Tottenham have been warned off midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate - after West Ham cheekily asked for Harry Kane in exchange.

Irons chairman David Sullivan has revealed the conversation took place at the end of last summer when Tottenham offered £15million for the Senegal midfielder.

Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan but will be forced to look elsewhere this summer as he bids to strengthen his midfield.

Sullivan said: “Spurs came on for Kouyate. They said: ‘What would you take for Kouyate?’

“We said we’d take Harry Kane. Silence on the other end of the line.”

(Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty)

Kane is on the verge of a new £100,000-a-week deal at White Hart Lane after another outstanding campaign. The PFA Player of the Year nominee has scored 25 Premier League goals this season and has netted 59 times since the start of the 2014/15 season.

Kouyate went on to sign a new five-year deal in March during another impressive campaign at Upton Park to help West Ham into contention for the Champions League.

Sullivan added: “We wouldn’t sell Kouyate. He is not for sale. He signed his new contract and he came out like a tiger the following day. He is a huge man, a real athlete, very fit. A very good player.”