sport news ROB DRAPER: Bayern Munich could be a good move for Harry Kane, but Man Utd are ... trends now
When the two greatest centre forwards in the Premier League come up against each other on Sunday, there will be more than just points and personal pride at stake.
For Harry Kane knows that were it not for Erling Haaland’s foresight in ensuring there was a fixed €60million (£54m) transfer fee clause into his Borussia Dortmund contract, it might well be Kane turning out in sky blue at the apex of Pep Guardiola’s team, benefitting from all those Kevin De Bruyne assists and anticipating the chance to win a Premier League title.
It was in the summer of 2021 that Kane broke cover and revealed he wanted to leave the club he had joined as a schoolboy in 2004. City would ultimately bid £100m for Kane but no more. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy wasn’t budging at that price, Kane still had three years left on his contract and crucially no buy-out clause.
Harry Kane could leave Tottenham this summer with multiple clubs interested in the striker
This summer, after what is likely to be two trophy-less years at Spurs, the same nagging dilemma will come round again. Kane will turn 30, acknowledged as one of the best players in the world and yet without ever having won a trophy.
Manchester United will endeavour to make him the pinnacle of their attack, that much is clear. He could set his sights on records such as Alan Shearer’s 260 Premier League goals. (Shearer scored 23 in the old First Division with Southampton, so 283 is the real total and the record for top-flight goals is Jimmy Greaves on 357).
Yet there will be another more intriguing option for Kane, one which might seem counter-intuitive given the Premier League’s utter domination of the transfer market but which certainly comes with its own historical benchmarks and almost guaranteed silverware.
Bayern Munich will summon up the warmest Bavarian welcome they can muster this summer, not just for Kane but also for his wife, Katie Goodwin and their three young children.
Kane will come up against Erling Haaland on Sunday as Spurs take on Manchester City
Bayern need a centre forward having lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona last summer. Former Stoke player Eric Choupu-Moting has performed superbly this season with 20 goals already but there is no doubt Bayern will look to strengthen and Kane will be their No 1 choice, if they can convince him. And they have form. They took Sadio Mane from Liverpool when he too had one year left on his deal last summer.
Leaving would mean giving up the chase for Shearer’s record. But there is something unique Bayern can offer. No Englishman has ever won the Torjagerkanone, the German equivalent of the Golden Boot.
Daniel Levy has been stern with negotiations over Kane's future, valuing him at over £100m
Manchester City ultimately pulled out of negotiations, and instead signed the Norwegian
Kevin Keegan was twice European footballer of the Year during his time at Hamburg from 1977-80, but his best season saw him fourth in the scoring charts with 17. Tony Woodcock scored 39 goals in 131 games for Koln between 1979-82 and 1986-1988 but never achieved the top scorer award. Jadon Sancho’s best was 18 in 2018-19.
And the hand Kane is playing is considerably stronger than two years ago. Kane hasn’t signed a new deal and shows no sign of doing so. He will have one year left on his contract and this will be Tottenham’s last chance to sell for big money before he leaves on a free.
