Updated Jul 19, 2023 5:51 pm
Due to the stringent nature of Daniel Levy’s negotiating tactics, England and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is struggling to secure a dream move to German giants Bayern Munich after two bids were rejected.
Scoring 30 goals in a poor Tottenham Hotspur side that finished with no trophies and outside of all European qualification places this season, it is with little surprise that Harry Kane has had interest from Europe’s elite clubs this transfer window.
Without any major trophies to his name, the England international has been labelled as unambitious and too loyal to Tottenham, as a player of his capabilities has the potential to affect games and win trophies at the highest level of the sport.
However, prying Kane out of a club that one would think would have a small bargaining hand is becoming a task that is becoming more arduous by the hour for German champions Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich Interest
Due to the loss of clinical finisher Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona last Summer, Bayern Munich have made it a top priority this window to sign a world-class talisman to replace a similar return of goals to which the Polish forward delivered in his time at the club.
Although only a select few forwards across Europe are able to emulate such a level of goalscoring excellence, meaning that securing a number nine that can produce such outcomes can become exceedingly expensive.
Holding one of the best goalscoring records in Europe’s top five leagues with only a year left on his current deal and playing for a club that was unable to make European football in any capacity, Bayern set their sights on Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, expecting that they could bargain a cut fee for the forward.
On the 27th of June, the German club made their first official bid for the England star, offering a deal including a €70 million transfer fee plus add-ons.
However, that bid was swiftly turned down by Spurs, with journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that the club “won’t accept that kind of fee for Kane.”
A week later, Bayern Munich launched their second attempt to secure the services of Kane, this time offering a bid worth €80 million plus add-ons, which was again turned down by Tottenham Hotspur, with Daniel Levy reportedly valuing their man at £120 million (€140 million).
The damage of holding onto Kane
However, with only a year left on Kane’s existing deal at the club, there is every possibility that if they are unable to strike a deal this window, the club could lose out on the chance to sell him for a significant fee and subsequently let him leave on a free transfer next season.
If Kane does not re-sign and Levy does not get the money he desires, Tottenham could see his value in the market diminish severely in January and may never get a better chance to cash in and rebuild the squad.
Unless there is a deal in place for Harry Kane to re-sign with the club if he does not leave this window, gaining a sum in excess of €80 million for a player in the final year of their deal would be incredible business from Levy.
Likewise, if Tottenham let a deal slip through the cracks by demanding an unrealistic valuation of a player for their current contract situation, it would also be deemed as poor business to devalue such an asset.
This would not be Daniel Levy’s first time making a transfer away from the club difficult for Harry Kane, as Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that the club had four bids knocked back by Spurs before pulling out of negotiations, with the final offer worth £100 million (€116 million).
Ballon d’Or winner and former Spurs midfielder Luka Modric also described his feelings towards the Tottenham owner when his move to Chelsea was blocked in 2011, writing in his autobiography that he ‘resented’ him because he “promised to let me move to a bigger club and then broke his promise.”
If Levy is not careful, his notoriously tough negotiating skills could work against him here, as Bayern are well within their rights to walk away from negotiations and structure a plan to sign Kane on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Furthermore, Tottenham could desperately use the money to help replenish the squad after Kane inevitably leaves in the near future, as they will need to sign a striker to fill the void that Kane will leave in the side.
What is best for Kane?
For a player with no significant trophies across a career that is littered with goals, a move to Bayern would be a guarantee of trophies, placing the final piece of the jigsaw in what would be a complete career for the England captain, as it would elevate his legacy on par with the best players that the country has ever produced.
At the age of 29 and now transitioning into the latter stages of his peak career, Kane needs the trophies to back up the standard of his performances he has put in consistently over the past decade.
It is most likely that if Harry Kane desires trophies, he will have to move abroad, as Daniel Levy has historically not been in favour of allowing top talent at his club to be shipped off to rival Premier League clubs.
Manchester City star Kyle Walker was one of the only top players to leave for a direct league rival and achieve success at the highest level, which the Tottenham owner is understood to deeply regret sanctioning the move and is something that we are unlikely to see again.
So if abroad is the only realistic option for Kane, then the Bayern Munich transfer makes complete sense. He can play a few seasons at one of Europe’s super clubs, win trophies, and return to England later in his career to attempt to eclipse Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record, but it must happen soon if that is what he wishes to achieve.
Time waits for no man, and it certainly will not wait around for Kane. If he is serious about leaving Tottenham Hotspur, more pressure must be put on Levy’s shoulders to sell, and if he still won’t buckle, Tottenham could seriously feel the impact over the coming seasons for not cashing in at the right time.
