‘I’m here to win’ Kane signs four-year deal with German giants Bayern Munich…No. 9 to “an absolute dream player”

Harry Kane’s long-running transfer saga has come to an end. The Englishman is set to take on a new challenge as he joins German giants Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians announced on their official website on Wednesday that they have acquired Kane from Tottenham. Kane has signed a four-year contract with the club until June 2027,” the club announced on its official website.

Kane’s move was one of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window, culminating in a picture of him in a Munich jersey. The exact price of the deal is unknown, but reports in Germany and England have suggested it could be as high as £120 million.

The shirt number was also revealed. Kane has been given the number 9 for the England national team, rather than the number 10 he wore at Tottenham. Munich were left without a No. 9 when Robert Lewandowski left for Barcelona ahead of the 2022/23 season, and Kane’s arrival fills both the number and the power void left by Lewandowski’s departure.

“It’s been a long process, but we’re delighted that Kane is pulling on the Munich shirt,” said Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dresden. Kane was our dream player. He fits perfectly with our DNA. We are confident that he will continue to build on the club’s success.”

In his signing interview, Kane said: “I’m very happy to be part of Munich. Munich is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have always said that I want to prove myself at the highest level. This club is defined by its winning mentality. It’s a great feeling to be here,” he said in his own words about joining Munich.

Kane’s move to Munich has been highly anticipated since the start of the summer transfer window, but the deal was not finalized until the Premier League and Bundesliga seasons kicked off.

Kane is Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer, but after the club finished eighth in the 2022/23 season and failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, speculation emerged that he could move on in search of a trophy. Kane hasn’t won a trophy with Tottenham in his career, and Munich have been keen to capitalize on the gap between Spurs and Kane that the title has created.

Munich’s form plummeted after the departure of Robert Lewandowski due to the absence of a frontline striker, and they faltered in both the league and Champions League in the 2022/23 season. In the summer transfer window, they brought in Konrad Reimer, Raphael Guerreiro, and Kim Min-Jae to try and make up for last season’s disappointment, with Kane as their top target to bolster their forward line.

However, negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who is notoriously difficult in the European transfer market, were not easy. After a first offer of €70 million ($99 billion) was rejected, Munich made a second offer of €80 million ($114.5 billion) with an option, but that didn’t satisfy Spurs.

Despite pressure from the owners, Levy refused to let Kane leave easily. When news broke that Kane had turned down a new contract with Tottenham, owner Joe Louis personally pressured Levy to sell rather than let him leave on a free transfer, but Levy stood his ground in hopes of earning a large transfer fee and potentially securing a new contract.

The two clubs held further talks in London, but Levy refused to back down. German media outlet Bild reported at the time that “Dresden CEO and Nepe are traveling to London to prepare for the transfer of Kane. We are hoping that today will be the decisive step, we are very positive and believe that they will make the deal happen,” according to Bild, but it was also reported that the talks only confirmed the gap in the transfer fee between the two clubs.

According to global sports outlet The Athletic, “Munich and Tottenham had a £25 million ($41 billion) difference in their valuations of Kane during talks on Monday. Representatives from both clubs have discussed a move for Kane and discussions are expected to continue,” explaining that a deal was not agreed in those talks. Tottenham then rejected a third bid of €100 million ($145.8 million) from Munich, and it appeared that Kane’s move to Munich was dead in the water.

Munich have made a decision to sign Kane. They have decided to make an offer in excess of the £100 million ($169.1 million) that Levy has said he wants.

Florian Plettenberg, who works for Sky Sports Germany and covers Munich, wrote on social media, “Munich have sent a new offer for Kane. The transfer fee exceeds 100 million euros ($143.9 million) including various bonuses. Munich officials are waiting for a response in the coming hours.” He went on to say that the club had made an increased offer for Kane.

British outlet The Sun also confirmed the story, emphasizing that the fee was in excess of £100 million. “Kane is expecting his future to be decided this weekend, with Munich offering Tottenham a £86 million fee for the player,” The Sun reported. “Munich are hoping the deal will be resolved by the end of the week. With a further option of £17 million, Munich’s offer exceeds £100 million.”

The Bavarians made a huge offer, but Tottenham didn’t make it easy for them, and Levy’s anger was palpable. This is because Munich pressured the club to make a quick decision on Kane’s transfer. According to German outlet Sport, “Tottenham feel they are being put under unnecessary pressure, and Levy is said to be unhappy. It remains to be seen if Tottenham will accept Munich’s new offer. However, Munich are waiting for an answer by the end of the week,” explaining that the club’s attitude of waiting for a quick response has put pressure on Tottenham.

Levy even added: “It has created a crazy twist in the Kane negotiations. In their final offer, Munich made a record-breaking offer for Kane and gave Spurs a deadline. Levy deliberately passed on the offer, and the player went on a two-week vacation with his family in Miami,” leaving Munich fans baffled.

Luka Modric, who left Tottenham for Real Madrid ahead of the 2013/14 season, said: “Levy drove them crazy. Every time we reached an agreement, he kept asking for something else,” he said, acknowledging Levy’s notoriety.

However, neither Tottenham nor Levy could just sit back and not sell Kane. Munich made a huge bid, and Kane only wanted to go to Munich.

“Munich have reached an agreement with Tottenham for Kane,” global sports outlet The Athletic reported on Tuesday, “Munich have agreed a deal with Tottenham for Kane. Munich’s offer, worth more than 100 million euros ($145 million), has been accepted by Tottenham, and now Kane has to decide whether he wants to join the club,” indicating that the transfer has entered the final stages.

“Kane has agreed to join Munich and has been offered a four-year contract,” The Athletic said on Nov. 11. Kane is awaiting a medical from Tottenham and the green light to complete the move.” With Kane agreeing to move to Munich, the transfer was effectively imminent.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing down the stretch. Kane and his wife, Katie Kane, departed London’s Stansted Airport at 1 a.m. on Dec. 12 and arrived in Munich at 3 a.m. on the same day. Munich had sent a plane to bring Kane to London the next day, the 11th, after Tottenham approved the move on the 10th. The problem was that midway through the flight, news broke that Tottenham had reneged on the transfer agreement and asked for a renegotiation. Kane was reported to be waiting indefinitely near the airport, and Munich were reportedly nervous, as they wanted to renegotiate terms and an additional transfer fee. However, Tottenham’s interruption didn’t sway the general consensus that Kane was on his way.

Eventually, Kane boarded a flight to Munich and underwent a medical. The flight to Munich ended up taking off at 11:50 p.m. ET, after an hour delay due to Kane’s late arrival in London traffic.

Before boarding the plane at the airport, Kane made his mind up about the move. Speaking to British outlet Sky Sports, Kane said it was “with a heavy heart and mixed emotions” but that it was “too hard to turn down” and that it was a turning point in his football career.

From there, everything went smoothly, starting with the medical. Florian Plettenberg, who covers Munich for Sky Sports in Germany, said on December 12 that “Kane has completed his first medical” and that “he will wear a shirt with the number 9 on it,” while German outlet Bild also reported that Kane had undergone a medical at the Barmheiziger Hospital in downtown Munich, indicating that a move was imminent.

After completing his medical, Kane officially announced his arrival, ending a long and drawn-out transfer saga, and he will be playing for the Bavarians next season.

Kane had reportedly not publicly requested a move until shortly before the transfer, but pressure from his family and an openness to joining Munich in a meeting with coach Enzi Postecoglou are believed to have contributed to his decision.

“Munich are working on the final details of the transfer,” German outlet Bild reported, adding that “Kane’s brother Charlie Kane and father Pat control his agent’s fees. Munich are in talks with Tottenham and Kane’s family. Kane’s family is said to have pressured Tottenham that he will leave on a free transfer if an agreement is not reached,” revealing that Kane and his family have been pressuring Spurs for a move this summer.

Postecoglou himself addressed the fact that Kane had made his desire for a move known. “I spoke to him on the first day and I was given the indication that he would leave if the two clubs agreed,” he said at a press conference on Nov. 11.

According to reports, Kane made it clear in his first meeting with Postecoglou that he would leave if Tottenham and Munich could agree on a deal.

“We’ve been planning this for a while, and a lot of our work so far has been with that in mind,” Postecoglou said. “There are still players moving, and the transfer window is still three weeks away. This is something that has been in the plan from day one, not because Kane has moved on.”

In the meantime, Kane’s arrival in Munich will likely end his trophy drought at Tottenham.

Founded in 1900, Bayern Munich is a 123-year-old club that has been a staple of German soccer and is arguably the de facto ‘top dog’. They have won the German top flight 33 times, the DFB-Pokal (the FA Cup equivalent) 20 times, the UEFA Champions League six times, and the UEFA Europa League (formerly UEFA) Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup once each. He also reached the top of the FIFA Club World Cup twice.

German coach Thomas Tuchel, who previously coached Mainz and Dortmund before leading Premier League club Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League title in 2021, has been in charge of the team since March.

The roster is huge. World-class goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, as well as current German national team standouts Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, and Yamal Moussaouialla, have all played for Munich. Dutch center back Matthijs de Ligt, French international forward Kingsley Coman, and Canadian defender Alfonso Davies, who is considered one of the best players in the history of the game. Recently, South Korean international striker Kim Min-jae, who was named Serie A’s Best Defender in the 2022/23 season, has also joined the squad to build a top-notch squad for next season.

The team also won their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in the 2022/23 season, making them the reigning champions of the league, so a league title is certainly possible this season. With the addition of Kane, Munich has built a tremendous squad that can go beyond winning the league and challenge for the DFB-Pokal and Champions League triple.

In the end, Kane’s arrival in a Munich jersey capped off one of the most talked-about transfers of the summer, and fans will be excited to see him play for Munich instead of Tottenham throughout next season. 안전놀이터