Journalist Ben Jacobs has insisted that Tottenham Hotspur are now putting Harry Kane's needs and future ahead of Antonio Conte's.

The Lowdown: Daniel Levy changing tactics

This is quite the outlandish claim for Jacobs to make amid the reported contract standoff occurring between Tottenham and Conte, with the Italian seemingly unwilling to commit his long-term future to the club.

However, Conte has recently insisted that he's still happy at Spurs despite their recent run of defeats, as well as the potential uncertainty over how much money will be spent this winter and what calibre of players will be brought into the club.

It just goes to show how desperate Levy and Spurs are to ensure they don't lose their star striker Kane in the near future by putting him before the manager and consulting him on club affairs.

The Latest: Spurs focusing on Kane

Jacobs has revealed on The Done Deal Show that Levy is now prioritising Kane over Conte as he looks to keep his star man.

He said: "We also don't know what's going to happen with Antonio Conte, so this is the consideration with Kane and for Tottenham.

"Do they go Conte deal first, then Kane; or Kane deal first, then Conte? And my understanding is that, as I said before... I'm told by Spurs sources that anything Tottenham do, they want to go to Kane first - even if he hasn't signed a deal, and even if it's not directly related to the contract talks - they want to seek the advice of Harry Kane.

"So Kane gets this feeling in the second half of the season that he's a part of everything, that he's integral to the decision-making. And therefore, he gets this de facto sense of authority and importance at the football club, so when they then put an offer down, he feels like the club are doing everything in keeping with Kane's own thinking to give him the best possible chance of getting him to re-sign."

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The Verdict: Spurs must keep Kane at all costs

While many may feel Spurs have no chance of winning silverware if they lose Conte, should they see Kane depart, there's arguably no like replacement, whereas, there are plenty of managers out there such as Mauricio Pochettino who could come and work at Tottenham.

Therefore, Spurs seemingly putting Kane before their manager is a smart decision from Levy to ensure he keeps his star man onside and try to lure him into signing a new long-term deal to put any talk of him leaving to rest.

Levy should be looking to keep both Kane and Conte if he wants Spurs to have the best chance of winning some silverware, but if there was only to be one, Kane must remain the priority.