Harry Kane to Bayern Munich: Tottenham striker's move 'imminent' as medical due
Last updated on .From the section Tottenham
England captain Harry Kane has arrived in Germany for a medical at Bayern Munich as he nears a move from Tottenham.
Bayern and Spurs agreed a deal worth more than 100m euros (£86.4m) for the 30-year-old on Thursday.
The decision to move was then left up to Kane, who is Tottenham's all-time top scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Friday the deal is "imminent".
Kane had one year left on his contract and was unlikely to stay with the club.
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Providing there are no unexpected issues, Kane's move will be completed in time to start the Bundesliga season next week.
It was felt the striker wanted a decision around his future made before the season began, but it has taken Bayern most of the summer to reach a point where Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was prepared to do a deal.
Kane had initially been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer, but it was unclear whether Levy would have been willing to sell him to another Premier League club.
He could have run down the final year of his contract before leaving on a free transfer in 2024.
Manchester City's attempt to sign Kane in 2021 prompted the England striker to delay his return for pre-season training, but he played on Tottenham's recent pre-season tour of Australia and South East Asia while negotiations with Bayern continued and last appeared on Sunday against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Spurs will face Brentford in their first match of the season on Sunday while Bayern begin their campaign against RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday.
Kane has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times - in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21 - and with 213 goals from 320 games in the English top-flight he needs just 48 more to break Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record. A move to Germany could kill off that prospect.
Shearer posted on social media following Friday morning's news to joke it is time for Kane to move on from the Premier League, with the expected departure leaving the former Newcastle and Blackburn striker's tally of 260 top-flight goals safe for now.
Kane, who is England's all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals, has never won a major trophy with club or country.
Bayern Munich claimed their 33rd Bundesliga title last season - an 11th in a row - and have won the Champions League six times and German Cup on 20 occasions.
'We move forward without Harry'
In a news conference on Friday, Postecoglou said that Kane had already "made up his mind" by the time the Australian took the manager job in June.
"I don't have a blow by blow account but my understanding is that it's progressed to a point where it's going to happen and a deal is imminent" Postecoglou said.
"That at least gives us some clarity, unless something unforeseen happens - we move forward without Harry."
The Spurs boss also said that Kane had wanted a deal done before the start of the Premier League season and that plans were in place for his departure.
"I had a conversation with Harry the first day he arrived and he was up front and honest. I was the same," Postecoglou said.
"In my mind, after that initial conversation, it seemed like Harry had made up his mind that if the clubs could agree, he was going to go. If not, he was happy to stay.
"He was very professional about it and I tried to treat him with the respect that someone of his standing deserved."
Postecoglou added that Kane will always be one of Spurs' "greats" and that his move will not change that.
Earlier on Friday, Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel also faced the media and said his club were working with "full pressure" on the deal.
"We can confirm this, but as we speak there is no agreement yet and if there is no agreement yet then the coach cannot talk about someone who is not their player," Tuchel said.
"I understand there are a lot of ifs and whens. All options are open. The first is to have him as a player and at the moment he is not yet that.
"This is a big deal. We are trying to take the England captain away from the Premier League."
How did we get here?
June 2021: Kane is linked with a £160m move to Manchester City following speculation around his future.
August 2021: City boss Pep Guardiola confirms the club's interest in the forward but later that month Kane says he will stay at Tottenham with Levy refusing to sell.
March 2023: Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly targets Kane as a priority summer transfer target.
5 June 2023: Real Madrid also express interest in signing Kane.
15 June 2023: United pull out of race to sign Kane, reportedly because of difficulty of dealing with Levy and Spurs asking for too much money.
27 June 2023: Reports emerge that Bayern made a £70m bid for Kane, but Tottenham sources denied it had been received and said they would immediately reject any offer.
28 June 2023: Bayern make improved offer for Kane, but it is again rejected.
10 July 2023: New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says he wants Kane to stay at Spurs.
14 July 2023: Confirmation arrives that Kane will take part in Spurs' pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East.
5 August 2023: Bayern tell Tottenham they want a decision by the end of the day over whether they are prepared to sell Harry Kane.
7 August 2023: Tottenham reject Bayern's most recent offer for Kane, with the Bundesliga champions suggesting an unsuccessful bid on this occasion would mean they moved on to other transfer targets.
10 August 2023: Bayern and Tottenham agree a deal worth 100m euros (£86.4m), leaving it to Kane to decide his future.
11 August 2023: Kane is given permission by Spurs to fly to Germany for a medical.
On our dedicated Tottenham page, we asked for your thoughts on Harry Kane seemingly choosing to make the switch to Bayern Munich.
Here are some of your replies:
Ron: Very disappointed that HK has decided to go, particularly 48 hours before the first match of a new season! He may well win a few trophies with Bayern but I don't believe they will mean as much as becoming the leading Premier League goalscorer!
Nick: Goodbye, Harry, and thanks for your service. We hope it works out for you in pastures new. Now looking forward, Ange - you can now shape this team in your fashion, not restricted by Harry. This I believe will make Spurs stronger, not weaker! Looking forward to Sunday and for the first time in years watching Spurs PLAY with passion and excitement! COYS!
Colin F: Dark day at Spurs, losing our/the Premier League's best all-round striker. The owners of the club are to blame. It all started when Pochettino was sacked. The owners do not care about THFC football club, they put money above all. We are the laughing stock of the Premier League!
Peter: Good luck, Harry. You've been incredible for Spurs for so long. Thank you.
Colin H: Will he be remembered for winning the German league? I don't think so. He has been in three finals with Spurs - including the Champions League - and failed in all of them.
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The systemic under investment in Spurs has been criminal and it's clear that Levy wants to run a champagne club on lemonade money. That's not an environment where you can realise proper success. Kane been a loyal servant for years for both club and country - he deserve the opportunity for a proper tilt at a title or even the CL.
Why is the BBC drinking from Rupert Murdoch's foul cup ? The top flight record is 357 goals by Jimmy Greaves - please don't join in with Murdoch's attempt to erase football prior to 1992.
Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Some people will just refuse to give him any credit whatever he does.
Best of luck to him I say.