MUNICH, GERMANY (AFP) – Bayern Munich have reached an agreement to sign England captain Harry Kane from Tottenham, for a Bundesliga record fee of more than EUR100 million, reports said yesterday.
Talks between the two clubs had been ongoing for several weeks, as Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy pushed for a higher fee, aware that Kane could leave on a free at the end of his deal in 2024.
Bayern had reportedly submitted their final bid for the 30-year-old striker in recent days, breaking through the EUR100 million barrier for the first time.
The Athletic reported the deal between the two clubs first, and was followed by Sky Sports and several other British and German media. Kane must now decide whether he wants to leave or not, the reports said.
“Kane is coming!” ran a headline in top-selling German tabloid Bild, which reported the striker had pushed for the negotiations to be resolved before Tottenham’s Premier League opener on Sunday.
The mood in British media was more downbeat however – The Sun reported that Spurs fans were “heartbroken” and had “gone into meltdown”.
Six-time European champions Bayern have been historically more reluctant to spend big on transfer fees than many of their European rivals.
The reported figure of over EUR100 million well exceeds their club record transfer outlay of EUR80 million paid in 2019 for French defender Lucas Hernandez. Hernandez left Bayern for Paris Saint-Germain earlier this year for EUR45 million.
Bayern had been on the lookout for a striker since the departure of star forward Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona at the end of the 2021-22 season.
The club won the Bundesliga in each of the Pole’s eight seasons in Munich, with Lewandowski scoring 344 goals in 375 appearances.During his eight years in Munich, Lewandowski averaged 30 goals per season. In 2022-23, not one Bayern player hit the 15 league goal mark.
They were eliminated by eventual winners Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and won the Bundesliga title on goal difference after a final-day capitulation from Borussia Dortmund.
Kane 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.
Despite finishing second in last season’s Premier League scoring charts behind Erling Haaland (36), Kane netted 30 league goals in 2022-23, equalling his best mark.
England’s record goalscorer, Kane played a major role in the country’s journey back from the international wilderness to regular contenders for major tournament glory.
