England captain Harry Kane leaves Tottenham for Bayern Munich
MUNICH — England captain Harry Kane accomplished his transfer to Bayern Munich from Tottenham on Saturday in soccer’s largest switch of the summer time because the striker goes seeking the primary main trophies in his profession.
The switch price for Kane may hit greater than £100 million (US$110 million), which breaks the Bundesliga switch document and is a large sum for a participant who would have been out of contract subsequent yr.
“Buzzing to have signed for such a massive club with an incredible history, can’t wait to get started!” Kane wrote on his social media channels.
The 30-year-old Kane may elevate a trophy — although hardly a significant one — on his first day at Bayern if he performs in Saturday’s German Super Cup season-opener towards Leipzig. Bayern indicated he’ll doubtless play.
After months of negotiations got here 24 hours of the switch as public theatre.
First there was Kane’s delayed departure from England on Friday amid conflicting reviews over whether or not he had Spurs’ permission to fly to Germany, then a non-public jet flight tracked by tens of hundreds of followers on-line.
Bayern despatched a shiny pink automobile to gather Kane, who was tracked by followers filming him by the glass stairwell of the clinic the place he took medical exams, whereas supporters waited late into the night time outdoors membership headquarters. Official affirmation of a four-year contract adopted Saturday morning.
Kane left open the potential of at some point returning to Tottenham in a farewell message that was “not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future.” Still, he appeared to acknowledge that becoming a member of Bayern was a step up and that the crew the place he spent 19 years is not amongst Europe’s greatest.
“I think FC Bayern Munich is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I’ve always said throughout my career I want to keep improving and keep pushing myself to be the very best,” he mentioned in a video launched by Bayern. “And I felt like it was the right step in my career to really push myself and test myself on the highest level.”
Tottenham challenged for Premier League titles within the mid-2010s below Mauricio Pochettino and reached the Champions League closing in 2019 — nonetheless the closest Kane has come to a significant prize.
Pochettino was fired as supervisor in November 2019 and since then Spurs has seen the acrimonious reigns of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both aspect of a disastrous four-month spell with Nuno Espirito Santo. Kane’s departure leaves new supervisor Ange Postecoglou to supervise a rebuild.
At Tottenham, Kane grew to become the second highest-scoring participant in Premier League historical past — with 213 objectives, 47 behind Alan Shearer.
The reported price for Kane breaks the Bundesliga switch document set when Bayern signed French defender Lucas Hernández from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer mentioned Kane could be a “real asset to the entire Bundesliga.”
“We’re very happy about this top-quality new arrival,” Hainer mentioned. “The transfer required tenacity, bite and perseverance — my compliments to all those involved in these negotiations at FC Bayern.”
Bayern received an eleventh consecutive Bundesliga title final season, however solely on objective distinction forward of Borussia Dortmund after a turbulent season that noticed battle throughout the squad and the shock firing of coach Julian Nagelsmann. The shut title race was extensively seen as rekindling worldwide curiosity within the German league whilst Bayern’s title streak continued.
Kane will give a central focus in assault to a Bayern crew that has struggled to adapt since promoting Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona a yr in the past. Bayern hailed Kane as “England’s goal machine” and a “full-blooded striker.”
The German champion nonetheless has some gaps within the squad, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer injured since December and coach Thomas Tuchel eager to have a defensive midfielder.
Kane’s arrival marks a symbolic second for the Bundesliga, which misplaced well-known names when Lewandowski left and Dortmund bought Erling Haaland to Manchester City final yr, and in June when Kane’s England teammate Jude Bellingham left Dortmund for Real Madrid.
As for Tottenham, Kane’s departure leaves a gap within the squad forward of its first sport of the brand new Premier League season, towards Brentford on Sunday. Postecoglou mentioned Friday he had been getting ready for a rebuild and that Kane’s imminent departure “at least gives us some clarity.”
Kane scored 30 Premier League objectives for Tottenham final season. No different participant within the crew scored greater than 10.
Kane has repeatedly been linked with strikes to main golf equipment within the Premier League and Europe, however Tottenham had at all times resisted makes an attempt to lure him away, largely as a result of he was tied to a six-year contract, which was signed in 2018.
In 2021, Tottenham blocked curiosity from Manchester City, regardless of Kane indicating he was prepared to go away. But with Kane set to develop into a free agent on the finish of the season, and Tottenham lacking out on profitable European competitions this season, Spurs risked shedding him for nothing subsequent summer time.
