Harry Kane is weighing up whether to join Bayern Munich and end his 19-year stay at Tottenham after the clubs agreed a deal that could be worth almost £100m. On Thursday night the indications were that Kane is leaning towards a move to Germany, with a medical pencilled in for Friday after talks gathered pace.
Bayern have been confident of Kane’s appetite to join since positive talks were first held with the player in June and subsequently they had three bids turned down by Spurs. Their latest offer, believed to be worth a guaranteed £86m with add-ons taking the total towards nine figures, has been accepted by Daniel Levy and Kane must choose between the lure of trophies at Bayern and the less predictable prospect of another year at Tottenham.
It is the most agonising of decisions for the England captain, who has been the subject of a summer-long pursuit from the Bundesliga champions.
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Kane’s contract expires next year and, although a sizeable new deal is on the table, he is yet to show any sign of agreeing new terms. He would be able to pick from a range of suitors, domestic and foreign, in 2024 and move on a free transfer. Manchester United would be among those circling while Manchester City, whom Kane had hoped to join in 2021, could revive their interest. But Tottenham have not given up hope of persuading him to commit to them for what would in effect be the rest of his top-level career and Kane is thought to have enjoyed pre-season under their head coach, Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs begin their Premier League campaign at Brentford on Sunday and Kane’s clear stance, as the standoff between Bayern and his employers dragged on, was that any decision about his future must be taken before then. By that standard the clubs’ agreement has come late in the day and, should Kane decide to leave, he will have barely trained with Thomas Tuchel’s side before they open their Bundesliga season against Werder Bremen next Friday.
That may factor in his thinking and so might the fact that, at 30, he would be taking his one shot at a big move by accepting Bayern’s offer. Kane would stand a high chance of at least advancing to the Champions League’s latter stages with Bayern, while a Bundesliga winner’s medal would appear nailed on given the Bavarian club have won its last 11 editions.
Although he would almost certainly end the wait for silverware that has dogged his career, he would be leaving the pre-eminent Premier League for the remainder of his peak years. Kane’s unfinished business in England extends to the Premier League goalscoring record, which is held by Alan Shearer. Kane sits on 213 goals and could conceivably overtake Shearer’s tally of 260 within two years. More pressing than individual glory, though, may be the emotional wrench involved in parting company with a club whose academy he first joined in 2004. Family considerations may also come in. His wife is expecting their fourth child and they are settled in north London.
Kane stands alone as a talismanic figure in Spurs’ modern history and, during a home friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday in which he scored four times, was left in no doubt of the support’s desire for him to stay.
That speaks of the deflation many around Tottenham will feel if Kane accepts Bayern’s personal terms, believed to total about £400,000 a week, and selects a new challenge. A windfall would, however, help Postecoglou further stamp his mark on a squad augmented by six new signings at a cost of £100m. Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro have also made their moves permanent.
Postecoglou would have the three remaining weeks of the transfer window to improve a side that looked stale for long periods of last season, although the loss of Kane would be a major blow.
