'People are not stupid' - New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino talks up 'amazing' relationship with Tottenham talisman Harry Kane amid transfer links

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he is not surprised to see his new club linked with a move for Tottenham talisman Harry Kane.

The new Blues head coach refused to rule out a move for Kane as he hailed him as one of the best strikers in the world, and claimed that Chelsea fans are aware of his strong bond with the Tottenham star.

Speaking to reporters, Pochettino said, I don't like to talk about players in another club, but you are talking about one of the greatest, one of the best strikers in the world. It's not fair to talk, it's not fair to say nothing. People are not stupid, fans are not stupid, they are so clever and they know my relationship with him was always amazing. I saw him when he was young, grow up and achieve all he was achieving and of course, we have a great relationship.

At the moment we are thinking in different ways. We are not thinking about that. Of course, working hard to try to provide the squad with good qualities. I don't like to talk about players and, more than that, players who were close to me. The England captain, who has one year left in his current contract, has been linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer with clubs like Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Chelsea showing interest in signing the player. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, though, has made it clear on several occasions that the north Londoners' talismanic forward is not for sale.

The Blues are scheduled to travel to USA later this month for their pre-season tour where they will face teams like Wrexham, Brighton, Newcastle United, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund.