TOTTENHAM STRIKER HARRY KANE SIGNS FOR BAYERN MUNICH AFTER BOTH CLUBS AGREE ON MASSIVE €120 MILLION TRANSFER
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has completed a move to German giants Bayern Munich, the North London club announced on Saturday.
Kane leaves Tottenham on a massive €120 million deal, by far the most lucrative sale in the club’s history and the most lucrative purchase in Bundesliga history. As per transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, the deal includes a €100 million fixed fee and add-ons that amount to a €20 million package. Kane signs on a four-year deal that will keep him with the Bavarian club until June 30th 2027.
In a lengthy statement, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said about the transfer, “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term. Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer.”
“We have seen a product of our Academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey.”
“Harry’s achievements and records say everything about the player, and throughout his 19 years at the Club, Harry has been a model professional, on and off the pitch and an inspiration for young players who dream of following in his footsteps.”
Kane scored a total of 280 goals and provided 64 assists in 435 games for Tottenham and is the club’s all-time record goalscorer after passing legend Jimmy Greaves on February 5th this year. The Englishman is also England’s all-time record goalscorer with 54 goals, a feat he achieved in March after scoring a penalty in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier game against European champions Italy.
In a video he recorded for Spurs fans on Saturday morning, Kane said, “Hi, everyone. I wanted to be the first to tell you Tottenham fans that I’ll be leaving the club today. Obviously a lot of emotions going through me right now.”
“[I’m] sad to be leaving the club I’ve spent nearly 20 years of my life at. From an 11-year old boy to a 30-year-old man now, there’s been so many great moments and special memories, memories that I’ll cherish forever…”
With Kane now gone, Tottenham announced on Saturday that winger Heung-min Son, 31, will now take over as the new captain with midfielder James Maddison and center back Cristian Romero getting mentions as the new vice captains.
Son wrote a heartfelt message to his former captain on Instagram, saying, “Leader, brother, legend. Since day one, it has been a joy to play by your side. So many memories, amazing games and incredible goals together.”
“Harry, thank you for everything you have given to me, to our club, and to our fans. Wish nothing but the best in your new chapter. Good luck, brother.”
After years of frustration and plenty of waiting, Harry Kane now has the transfer he’s always wanted. The Walthamstow-native didn’t, however, rule out a return to his boyhood club in his message on Saturday. Kane said: “I’ve given everything that I possibly could to make you proud. [And] give you as many special moments and memories to hopefully last forever. I felt like this was the time to leave.”
“I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk… It’s not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future but it’s a ‘thank you’ and I’ll see you soon.”
Bayern president Herbert Hainer was as thrilled as CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen to finally have the prolific goalscorer within the club’s ranks. Hainer said: “We’re very happy about this top-quality new arrival. The transfer required tenacity, bite and perseverance – my compliments to all those involved in these negotiations at FC Bayern, led by our CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. Harry Kane will not only strengthen FC Bayern, but [will] also be a real asset to the entire Bundesliga.”
Dreesen said regarding the transfer, “It’s been a long process, but now we’re all the happier that Harry Kane will be wearing the Bayern Munich shirt with immediate effect. Harry Kane was our absolute dream player right from the start. He is a perfect fit for us and the club’s DNA in terms of both football and character. World-class centre forwards have always been an important factor when FC Bayern has celebrated its greatest triumphs, and we’re convinced that Harry Kane will continue this success story. Our fans can look forward to one of the best goalscorers of our time.”
Kane now replaces Polish striker Robert Lewandowski who left the Bavarian giants last summer for Spanish side Barcelona and will look to replenish the goals that went missing from the club in spells last season. Bayern just narrowly won the title last year and were eliminated from both the DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League in the quarter final stages last year.
Motivated by a competitive hunger for silverware, Harry Kane will look to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s dominance and chances at acquiring trophies every season. The English striker flew out to Germany on Friday evening in one of the most indiscrete pieces of news on Friday and underwent the first set of medicals in the early evening before completing all the tests on Saturday morning, around 1am.
Kane also trained with the first team ahead of Bayern’s DFL SuperCup game against RB Leipzig on Saturday morning, a game in which he started on the bench. Leipzig went on to beat Bayern 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern start their Bundesliga title defense against SV Werder Bremen on Friday, August 18th.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Brad Tutterow. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.