Harry Kane has made his mark since joining Bayern Munich, but he had plenty of options for his next transfer after leaving Tottenham Hotspur before he decided on the move to Germany
In the end, the allure of trophies is what swayed Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023. Throughout his time at Tottenham, Kane was renowned as one the continent’s top strikers and was on the radar of every top European club.
In 2021, Kane did everything he could to try and force a move to Manchester City, including publicly stating his desire to leave Spurs during a round of golf with Gary Neville. However, he waited two more years before Bayern forked out £100m to bring him to Bavaria from North London.
While Bayern won the race, Manchester United had been working on a move for the England captain for some time. When Erik ten Hag first took up the reins at United, it was exclusively revealed by the Mirror that he wanted Kane to be one of his first transfer signings. However, it was not the right time for Kane, as he was determined to become Spurs’ record goalscorer.
Moreover, if the England skipper was to leave, it would have been for a club that was immediately ready to challenge for the big trophies and not one that was building or in transition.
After overtaking Sir Jimmy Greaves’ Spurs tally the following February, United thought they had the perfect opportunity to sign Kane. Spurs finished outside the top four, during a campaign which saw Antonio Conte be sacked by the club, while United had just won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final and finished third.
Kane had also publicly said that he wanted to overtake Alan Shearer’s record of scoring 260 Premier League goals, seemingly ruling out a move abroad. With City enjoying Erling Haaland’s services and Liverpool signing Cody Gakpo at the time, a move to United appeared to be the only realistic Premier League move.
United were not in a good place when they considered a move for Kane in the summer of 2022(Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
It was a more promising situation than 12 months before when Kane was reluctant to move to Old Trafford after United’s struggles under Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. The Red Devils finished sixth with their worst points tally for 32 years and had also endured their fifth consecutive campaign without a trophy.
Kane’s motivation to leave Tottenham was driven by his desire to win a major trophy. At the time, the North Londoners were seemingly in a better position to win a title than United.
The England frontman had decided that he would only leave Tottenham for a side that’s ready to compete for big trophies immediately and not one that was in transition. Kane was impressive in his final campaign at Spurs, but their 8th placed finish meant the writing was on the wall in regard to his future.
Kane was determined to become Tottenham’s record goal-scorer before leaving the club(Image: Getty Images)
Initially, it was reported that Kane’s representatives had a “secret meeting” with Paris Saint-Germain, who were interested in a move. PSG transfer chief Luis Campos held an “informal conversation” over Kane’s future, according to Foot Mercato.
At the time, PSG were embarking on a fresh approach to transfers and were in the process of moving Lionel Messi and Neymar on, so they could build a younger and fresher team. A move to the French capital did not suffice and with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy being reluctant to sell to a Premier League rival, Bayern Munich were in the right place at the right time.
When the rumours about a move to Germany were ongoing, ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy urged Kane to move to Bayern and plunder as many goals and trophies as possible. In his column for Daily Mail, Murphy said: “If Bayern Munich come calling this summer, he should go. It would be hugely sad if a player of his quality finished [his career] without winning a trophy. It’s something he himself would regret after retirement.”
After a first season without a trophy, Kane lifted the Bundesliga in his second campaign(Image: AP)
He added: “Going abroad might cost him Alan Shearer’s Premier League goals record but, in the grand scheme of things, that shouldn’t put him off. In five years, we could be talking about Harry Kane, Champions League winner with multiple Bundesliga titles and cup medals.
“I’m sure Kane will get other offers. Manchester United have been mentioned, but he hasn’t got time to be part of a team that is building. If he was going to leave, it would be primarily to win trophies from the get-go, which would make Bayern his best option.”
Kane would go on to snub any other interest from United to secure his £100m move to Bayern. After a disappointing first season saw Bayern fail to win a trophy for the first time in a decade, Kane won the Bundesliga under Vincent Kompany, helping himself to 38 goals and 13 assists in 47 matches along the way.
