Summary Harry Kane has completed his transfer to Bayern Munich after a long saga, with the deal worth around £100m and potentially rising with add-ons. Spurs reluctantly agreed to the transfer due to Kane's unwillingness to sign a new contract, despite attempts to engage him in contract extension talks. There were doubts and a last-minute wobble from Kane about the transfer, but ultimately the deal was agreed, with Kane departing after 435 appearances and numerous goals and assists.
The inside story behind the delay in the Harry Kane transfer has been revealed by Alasdair Gold.
The Tottenham Hotspur record goalscorer sealed his move away from North London on Saturday.
Has Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich?
The England national team captain has finally completed his switch to the current Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich after a long drawn-out saga throughout the summer. The deal is worth a reported £100m and could rise by £15-20m depending on add-ons, with the striker taking the iconic number 9 shirt at the Allianz Arena.
Spurs didn't want to lose their talisman, but due to his unwillingness to sign a new deal, the club cashed out, with chairman Daniel Levy stating in an official club statement:
“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."
The transfer was not a simple one, with the Bavarian side seeing three offers rejected for the Premier League star. There were multiple meetings held between the club's executives and eventually a deal was agreed on Thursday morning, with personal terms agreed later on in the day after a delay, where it was reported that the boyhood Tottenham fan was leaning towards staying at the club. Ultimately, personal terms were agreed and Kane departed after 435 appearances, during which he managed 280 goals and 64 assists.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Gold revealed that there was optimism at points from people at Tottenham that Kane would stay, and that his doubts about the switch were "genuine".
"Genuinely, Harry Kane did have a wobble in terms of what he wanted to do, that’s well known in the corridors of Tottenham Hotspur that having told Postecoglou on the first day that he met him that yeah, he did want to move if a deal could be done, but he was happy to stay and play for him if it couldn’t.
When it came to it yesterday there was a bit of a wobble, that’s why you saw some stuff about potentially he could end up staying, and even by the end of play yesterday, despite the confidence coming out of Germany, back in England and around Spurs there was a feeling that he might end up staying, but in the end we woke up to everything being near done."
What next for Tottenham Hotspur?
The North London side are looking to spend the money brought in via the Kane departure.
One position they are working on is striker following the sale of their first choice number nine, with one name on the shortlist being Gent striker Gift Orban, with Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri reporting that talks are ongoing between the two clubs, with the Belgian side wanting €30m plus add-ons to part with the Nigerian forward, whilst Spurs have only offered €27m at this point, with a written offer set to arrive next week in order to advance negotiations.
Spurs also remain in the race for Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba. The Burkina Faso international has been a target all summer, and according to Football Insider the Lilywhites are set to accelerate their pursuit after completing the signing of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg earlier in the window. However, they could face competition from Newcastle United who are reportedly ready to hijack the deal and offer £50m for the defender.