- Harry Kane Contemplating Move to Bayern Munich
- Clubs Agree on Deal Worth Nearly £100 Million
- Decision Looms Before Premier League Opener
Harry Kane may leave Tottenham after 19 years after the club and Bayern Munich reached a nearly £100 million deal. On Thursday evening, it appeared that Kane is leaning towards a transfer to Germany, with a medical examination scheduled for Friday after talks accelerated.
Bayern has been confident in Kane’s intention to move since June, but Spurs rejected Bayern’s three proposals. Daniel Levy has accepted their newest offer, which is expected to be worth £86m plus an additional nine figures. Kane must decide between the allure of trophies at Bayern and the less certain prospect of another year at Tottenham.
The England captain, who has been sought by the Bundesliga champions all summer, faces the worst dilemma.
Kane’s contract expires next year, but he hasn’t agreed to a hefty new deal. In 2024, he might choose between domestic and international suitors and move for free. Manchester United and Manchester City, where Kane planned to join in 2021, may be interested. Kane is believed to have relished preseason under Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham have not given up hope of convincing him to sign with them for the remainder of his professional career.
Kane’s clear posture, as the standoff between Bayern and his employers dragged on, was that any decision regarding his future must be made before Sunday’s Premier League opener against Brentford.
By these standards, the agreement between the clubs has been reached late in the day, and should Kane opt to leave, he will have barely trained with Thomas Tuchel’s squad before their season opener against Werder Bremen on Friday.
If he accepted Bayern’s offer at 30, he would have only one large transfer, which may influence his decision. Kane would have a good chance of at least advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League if he joined Bayern, while a Bundesliga championship would appear to be a foregone conclusion given that the Bavarian club has won the last 11 Bundesliga titles.
Although he would almost undoubtedly end the trophy drought that has plagued his career, he would spend the remainder of his prime years away from the preeminent Premier League. Alan Shearer holds the Premier League goalscoring record, which is an unresolved business for Kane in England. Kane currently has 213 goals and could surpass Shearer’s total of 260 within two years. He left a club whose youth academy he joined in 2004 emotionally, which may be more essential than individual accomplishment. Family concerns may also be a factor.
His wife is expecting their fourth child, and the couple has established themselves in north London.
Kane, Spurs’ only talisman, scored four goals in Sunday’s home friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk, indicating fans want him to stay.
If Kane accepts Bayern’s £400,000-per-week offer and joins a new team, Tottenham fans will be disappointed. But a windfall would allow Postecoglou to establish his dominance over a squad that has invested $100m in new players. Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski have also made their moves permanent.
Postecoglou would have the remaining three weeks of the transfer window to improve a team that appeared stale for extended stretches of the previous season, although the loss of Harry Kane would be devastating.
