Bayern Munich reach deal with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Harry Kane: reports
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Bayern have reportedly submitted their final bid for England captain Harry Kane, who has also been linked to Manchester United.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MUNICH – Bayern Munich have reached an agreement to sign England captain Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur for a German Bundesliga record fee of over €100 million (S$148 million), reports said on Thursday.
Talks between the two clubs had been ongoing for several weeks,
Bayern have reportedly submitted their final bid for the 30-year-old, who has also been linked to Manchester United, breaking through the €100 million barrier for the first time.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein first reported the deal between the two clubs, and was followed by Italian transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Sky Sports and several other British and German media.
Personal terms have also reportedly been agreed, so it is all down to Kane now to make his final decision. German media said the clubs were preparing the contracts but the player still had to pass a medical in Munich.
“Kane is coming!” ran a headline in German tabloid Bild, which reported the striker had pushed for the negotiations to be resolved before Spurs’ English Premier League opener at Brentford on Sunday.
The mood in British media was more downbeat however – The Sun reported that Spurs fans were “heartbroken” and had “gone into meltdown”.
Former England striker Michael Owen was also unhappy about the news, tweeting: “I know @FCBayern are a massive club and I have huge respect for them but if I were @HKane I’d stay put.
“There’s no great achievement in winning a trophy with them. @realmadrid I would understand. Becoming the all time Premier League top goal scorer @SpursOfficial is a bigger achievement than winning the league in a country dominated by 1 team.”
Six-time European champions Bayern, who won an 11th straight league title last season, have been historically more reluctant to spend big on transfer fees than many of their European rivals.
The reported figure of over €100 million well exceeds their club-record transfer outlay of €80 million paid in 2019 for French defender Lucas Hernandez, who left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 for €45 million.
Bayern had been on the lookout for a striker since the departure of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona at the end of the 2021-22 season.
The German giants won the Bundesliga in each of the Pole’s eight seasons in Munich, with Lewandowski scoring 344 goals in 375 appearances. But they struggled in his absence last season.
During his eight years in Munich, he averaged 30 goals per season. In 2022-23, not one Bayern player hit the 15-league goal mark. Kane scored 30 Premier League goals last term, equalling his best mark in 2017-18.
The England striker also has scored more than 20 league goals in all but three of the past nine Premier League seasons, winning the Golden Boot on three occasions.
The 30-year-old will likely solve an issue in attack, but Bayern are set to kick off their season with their German Super Cup match against RB Leipzig on Saturday with no first-choice goalkeeper.
They will have experienced 35-year-old Sven Ulreich, who at times was the club’s third choice, in goal for the game.
First-choice Manuel Neuer will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a broken leg, Alexander Nubel has gone to Stuttgart, Johannes Schenk is now at Preussen Munster and Yann Sommer has joined Inter Milan.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have reportedly shown interest in several top goalkeepers, including Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga and former United custodian David de Gea among others, but so far there has been little progress.
AFP, REUTERS
