Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is optimistic of the club's chances of keeping Harry Kane if the Lilywhites finish in the top four this season.

The England captain's future remains a major talking point ahead of the summer transfer window, as his existing contract runs out at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Both Manchester United and Bayern Munich are believed to be keeping a close eye on developments surrounding Kane, who tried and failed to force an exit in 2021.

Kane will turn 30 this summer without having won a major trophy at club level, with Spurs being knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League this month to extend their trophyless streak to 15 years.

Tottenham will fight tooth and nail to tie Kane down to a new contract, though, and they are supposedly ready to risk keeping the striker into the final year of his deal if he does not agree fresh terms in the coming months.

Conte was unsurprisingly asked about Kane's contract situation ahead of the weekend's clash with Southampton, and he expressed his belief that Spurs will be able to retain their best players with Champions League football.

"To finish in the top four could be very important for everybody, first of all for the club and for the players, the manager and the fans," Conte told reporters.

"For sure if you finish in the top four many, many situations are more simple because you know that we are going to play Champions League.

"The best players and the best clubs want to play in these competitions. We have this idea but other clubs have the same idea. We will see what happens."

Further prodded on Kane's future, the Italian claimed that Tottenham would try to keep the 29-year-old until he hangs up his boots, although they are currently running the risk of losing him on a free transfer in 2024.

"But I think that this is a question for the club. For sure, the club wants to involve Harry Kane for the rest of his career in my opinion," Conte added.

"Because when you have this type of player, a world class striker like him, for sure you want him to stay here for the rest of his career. But then you know football, you know football. Sometimes it's unpredictable but I think it's not in my task to make a decision. This is a decision for the club and for Harry."

Kane scored his 271st goal for Tottenham against Southampton on Saturday afternoon, but Conte's men catastrophically let a two-goal lead slip in a 3-3 draw with the Premier League's basement side.

James Ward-Prowse scored a stoppage-time penalty to draw Southampton level in that six-goal thriller, denying Tottenham the chance to move above Manchester United into third place in the table.

The fourth-placed Lilywhites are only two points clear of Newcastle United having played two games more, and their first game back after the international break sees them travel to Everton on April 3.