Harry Kane has joined Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians made the announcement on their website on Wednesday (June 12), saying, “Munich has acquired Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. Kane has signed a contract with the club until June 2027,” the club announced. Kane will wear the number 9 shirt, which was previously worn by Robert Lewandowski.
Kane’s transfer speculation has been one of the most talked about topics of the summer transfer window. Since Munich made an approach for Kane, many have been watching with interest as the Tottenham and England striker, who is considered one of the best strikers in the English Premier League (EPL), could leave England for the first time in his career and join Munich.
There was a good chance that Kane would choose to move to Munich. Despite his individual prowess, Kane has never lifted a trophy in his career. Munich would be the team to quench his thirst for trophies. That’s why they believe they can finalize a deal for Kane if they can get talks going.
Spurs could also be forced to let Kane leave for free next summer if they fail to sell him in this summer’s transfer window. This was one of the things that could have happened if Kane didn’t re-sign with Spurs.
Munich is looking to win the league title next season, as well as the UEFA Champions League (UCL). To do so, they need Kane. They’ve been without a striker for a season after Robert Lewandowski’s departure. They had a promising youngster in Mathis Thiel, but Thiel wasn’t good enough for a full season. That’s why Munich, who don’t usually spend a lot of money on transfers, went on the hunt.
Munich succeeded in opening the talks after two formal offers. Levy was present in Tottenham and CEO Jan Christian Driessen in Munich. However, the negotiations did not go the way Munich wanted. Tottenham demanded a buy-back clause and additional money from Munich.
The negotiations did not go the way Munich wanted. Despite the ongoing negotiations with Bayern Munich, Levy rejected Munich’s offer, informed them that he needed more money for the transfer, and headed to the United States for a vacation. The Bavarians were willing to give up on Kane and look for an alternative if negotiations continued beyond the timeframe they had set for themselves.
In the meantime, there are reports that Kane will stay with the team if he wears the captain’s armband in the league opener. “According to the ‘Daily Mail’, Tottenham have offered Kane a contract extension, but he has made it clear that he does not want one and only wants a move to Munich,” German outlet TZ reported. Meanwhile, Kane has made it clear that a move this summer will not be possible if he captains Tottenham in their opening game against Brentford next week.”
Munich picked up the pace with this news. “Munich are ready to break club records to sign Kane, according to chief reporter Kave Solhekol. Kane has just 12 months left on his contract, but the Bavarians are willing to pay more than the club record. The Bavarians are convinced that Kane will play for them next season.”
Finally, news broke that Munich had reached an agreement. On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Tottenham had accepted Bayern Munich’s offer. David Onstein of the UK’s The Athletic reported, “German sources say Munich and Tottenham have reached an agreement over the signing of Kane. The transfer fee is likely to be in excess of €100 million, and Kane must now decide whether he wants to move. Kane wanted the situation sorted out before the league opener against Brentford. For now, Kane is happy under manager Enze Postecoglou and is leaning towards staying at Spurs. But we don’t know how he will react in the future.”
Soon after, Kane made his decision. He was leaving Tottenham to join Munich. “Kane has agreed to join Munich,” Onstein said on November 11. The contract is for four years and a personal agreement has been finalized. Kane will travel to Munich for a medical and is awaiting clearance to complete the transfer. He was happy under Postecoglou, but has decided to leave Tottenham, where he has played since childhood.”
European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, who works for the UK’s The Guardian, also reported on social media that “Kane has been given permission to undergo a medical ahead of his move to Munich. Munich are confident of completing the deal by Friday. We will have a final conversation with the player tonight.”
Florian Blettenberg of Germany’s Sky Sports, who is also well versed in the Munich saga, said: “Munich are likely to sign Kane. The talks between Munich, Tottenham and Kane have been going well. The deal is on the verge of being finalized because Kane wants to move to Munich.”
Since then, Kane’s move has seemed to move quickly. After Tottenham’s clearance was granted, Kane traveled to the airport to undergo a medical, but before boarding the plane to Munich, something went wrong. Tottenham abruptly revoked the transfer.
The suspense continued until the very end. “According to sources, Kane was on his way to the airport as he had been cleared to board a flight to Munich, but Tottenham want to renegotiate and he is now waiting in his car,” said Germany’s Sky Sports.
Sky Sports in the UK also reported that “Kane is awaiting clearance to fly to Munich for a medical ahead of his move. He was reportedly on his way to the airport this morning when he was told not to fly. Kane is currently at his home near the airport waiting for permission to board the plane. “Tottenham tried to change the contract at the last minute, but Munich insisted that the contract was still in place and had not changed.
It was a bizarre way of handling things. Apparently, Tottenham had accepted Munich’s offer on the 10th, and the negotiations had moved on to private talks between Kane and Munich. When Kane accepted Munich’s offer, the transfer was finalized, and he was on his way to Munich for a medical, Tottenham put the brakes on. There were too many disappointments to consider the way the English big club handled things.
Fortunately, Kane made it to the plane safely. British newspaper The Sun broke the news with a video of Kane boarding the chartered flight, and later, Germany’s Sky Sports shared a timeline, suggesting that Kane arrived in Germany around 7 p.m. local time. Social media then showed Kane arriving at the airport, waving to fans, and being escorted by a group of people believed to be Munich officials, suggesting that a move to Munich was imminent.
Then came the official announcement of Kane’s move to Munich. The club announced the signing of Kane on their website, introducing him as a freshman at the club. While everyone who follows soccer knows who Kane is, Munich focused on Kane the person rather than Kane the player.
“Kane is a world-class No. 9 (striker). One of the best strikers in the history of the EPL, Kane comes to Munich. He has great finishing ability with both feet and is very strong in aerial contests. He is an exemplary player and has an unrivaled scoring instinct. Last season, he scored the second most goals in the league (30) after Elling Holland,” he said of Kane.
“Kane was born in London on July 28, 1993, and played for Ridgway Rovers, Arsenal, and Watford before heading to Tottenham. After coming through the Spurs youth ranks and signing a professional contract with the club, Kane spent the early part of his career on loan to gain experience. Since the summer of 2013, he has been a regular in Spurs’ starting lineup and has been the club’s top scorer since the 2014-15 season, and is a three-time top scorer in the EPL.”
In addition, the club shared that Kane has title dreams, is England’s all-time leading scorer, and loves to play American football off the field. The club also released a video on its official channel showing Kane getting off the plane, traveling from the airport to the Munich camp, and being photographed holding and wearing a Munich jersey. Kane is all smiles in the video.
Kane will now anchor Munich’s front line instead of Tottenham’s. The Bavarians plan to include Kane in their German Super Cup roster immediately to face RB Leipzig. If Kane is included in the roster, plays in the Super Cup, and Munich wins, Kane will be able to lift the trophy shortly after joining the club.
Kane’s departure also breaks up one of the best duos in the EPL, the Son-Kane duo. Son and Kane worked well together, leading Tottenham’s offense and combining for more goals than any other duo in the EPL. However, Tottenham’s two leading strikers have parted ways after this preseason.
Instead, Kane will play alongside Son’s international teammate and fellow South Korean, Kim Min-Jae. Although they won’t be linking up up front like Son, Kane and Kim are teammates going into the season with the same goal: to win the title. 메이저놀이터