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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Ronan Sullivan

Barcelona 'launch shock Harry Kane transfer swoop' during World Cup

England captain Harry Kane is reportedly the subject of shock transfer interest from Barcelona, as they look to replace the Chicago Fire-bound Robert Lewandowski.

The Daily Mail report that the LaLiga champions have reached out to Kane’s representatives, but were immediately turned down, with his sole focus currently on the World Cup.

Kane, 32, has one year left on his current contract at Bayern Munich and is rumoured to be intent on securing a new deal.

He will lead the Three Lions against DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday, after becoming England’s all-time top finals goalscorer with his effort against Panama, overtaking former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker.

Barcelona are short on striking options with Lewandowski set to depart following the expiration of his contract. It has been reported in recent days that he is set to join MLS club Chicago Fire on a free transfer.

Ferran Torres and new £69million signing Anthony Gordon are both primarily wingers, but can operate up front if needed.

Marcus Rashford was another striking option during his loan spell at the Camp Nou last season, but looks unlikely to return on a permanent basis this summer as things stand.

Success: Harry Kane has won four trophies with Bayern Munich since leaving Tottenham in 2023 (Getty)
Success: Harry Kane has won four trophies with Bayern Munich since leaving Tottenham in 2023 (Getty)

Barcelona are looking for a more orthodox striker in the mould of Lewandowski, who scored 120 goals in 193 games for the club, and they evidently believe that the prolific Kane is their man.

He netted 61 times in 51 games across all competitions last season as Bayern won both the Bundesliga and German Cup under Vincent Kompany. Kane also finished as the league’s top scorer for the second time.

Kane joined Bayern in 2023 from Tottenham for around £86m and has bagged 146 goals in 147 games in total since then, winning two Bundesliga titles, the German Cup and the German Super Cup.

Kane had previously spent his entire professional career with Spurs, scoring 213 top-flight goals to become the Premier League’s second-highest scorer ever, behind Alan Shearer.

He is currently on three goals at the 2026 World Cup, having scored against Panama and twice in the opening win over Croatia.

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