Former Premier League centre-forward Darren Bent has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur should seriously consider signing Danny Ings in the summer transfer window. 

In light of David Ornstein's claim that Harry Kane wants to leave this summer, Ings has been named as a potential replacement for his compatriot.

What's Darren Bent said? 

A report from Sky Sports on Monday confirmed that Manchester City are considering Ings as a potential replacement for Sergio Aguero. 

The news generated discussion on talkSPORT on Tuesday, with Bent endorsing a potential swoop from Pep Guardiola's side.

But that wasn't all the pundit had to say on the matter. 

He went on to say that Spurs are one of a handful of clubs who should be in for the 28-year-old this summer.

“Other teams will want him, 100 per cent, and one club for me personally that will have to look at him seriously is Tottenham.

“Because at the need of the season if they don’t win anything, I can see Harry Kane going, ‘enough is enough, I need to move on’.

“And if Kane does go, I think Danny Ings would be the perfect replacement.

“I don’t think it’s a case of just Manchester City coming for him, I genuinely think they’ll be four or five teams – someone for that quality for cheap? I can see a number of top teams in the Premier League going for Danny Ings.”

Will Harry Kane leave Spurs? 

Discussion over Kane's future has been simmering beneath the surface ever since he revealed that he would leave Spurs if he felt the club weren't progressing. 

Amid a concerning season of stagnation under Jose Mourinho, Ornstein's latest revelation on Kane's situation certainly won't sit well with the Spurs supporters, per Sky Sports. 

"The consensus it that he would like to leave Tottenham, but he can't say that publicly. He's the captain, he's very committed while he's at the club but he wants to go and win trophies," said Ornstein.

Crucially, though, The Athletic journalist went on to state that a transfer away from the club isn't likely to come to fruition in the upcoming window. 

"However, that (Kane's departure) is incredibly unlikely because Daniel Levy would want an astonishingly high figure for him. There were reports today of well in excess of £120m just for Daniel Levy to even consider letting him go and of course Kane is under contract until 2024."

Ornstein's verdict suggests that Levy's demands represent the biggest obstacle to a potential exit for Kane, but the player's ambition to embark on a new challenge does add a significant complication. 

Will Kane make a coherent push to force a move away from Spurs, potentially creating public friction with Levy and Mourinho in the process? 

We'll have to see how the situation unfolds, but a Kane departure is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. 

Would Ings be a good replacement for Kane? 

Without a doubt. 

Ings - who is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt - is a complete centre-forward with everything in his locker: devastating finishing, physicality, diligent work rate, pace, creativity and excellent close control.

Whether he's running in behind or dropping deep to collect the ball, Ings is a menace for the opposition and his return of 42 goals and nine assists in 92 games for Southampton underlines his threat in the final third. 

Anyone who is tasked with the responsibility of replacing Kane will be facing one of the hardest challenges in football, but Ings has the experience and the skill set to ease the transition into a post-Kane era. 

If Spurs are unable to hang on to Kane this summer, then Ings should be at the top of their shortlist of replacements.