One European giant did everything possible to sign Harry Kane before the England international sealed his move to Bayern Munich.
On Saturday, Kane joined German champions Bayern on a four-year deal worth up to £100million. The England skipper could make his debut for the Bavarian giants in Saturday’s German Super Cup game against RB Leipzig.
The 30-year-old leaves Tottenham as their all-time top scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances.
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Indeed, Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot three times - in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21 - and with 213 goals Premier League goals, he was just 48 goals shy of breaking Alan Shearer's record.
Kane, who will wear the number nine shirt at Bayern and has signed until 2027, said: "I'm very happy to be a part of FC Bayern now. Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I've always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career.
"This club is defined by its winning mentality - it feels very good to be here."
Kane’s future had been uncertain all summer because he only had one year left on his contract at Spurs.
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And while, he is joining one of the biggest sides in the world - one that claimed their 33rd Bundesliga title last season and have won the Champions League six times and German Cup on 20 occasions - an arguably even bigger club had also pursued his signature this summer.
Real Madrid “did everything possible” to sign Harry Kane
According to the Athletic, Real Madrid did “everything possible” to sign Kane this summer.
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In early June Los Blancos were looking for a new striker after the departure of Karim Benzema to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad, and manager Carlo Ancelotti reportedly requested Kane as a replacement to the club’s hierarchy in a meeting at the Valdebebas training ground.
As per the publication, the club agreed that Kane would be a good Benzema alternative and told Ancelotti they would “do everything possible”. However, it was also made clear to Ancelotti that it was going to be very difficult to sign Kane due to Daniel Levy.
Indeed, some people inside the club reportedly said at the time they thought Levy would ask for €150million (£129million) for Kane, an amount they would not be able to afford.
However, Real were allegedly given the impression Kane would be interested in joining them so tried to make a deal. The club allegedly did not feel they could afford Kane outright so they tried to come up with various solutions and even offered a low amount to test the waters.
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Yet it swiftly became clear Tottenham would not budge.
Even as late as July, Kane was reportedly interested in a Madrid move, however after the initial push president Florentino Pérez declined to pursue a deal because of Kane’s age, fee and the prospect of drawn-out negotiations. This was reportedly met with disappointment by some at the club.
Featured Image Credit: Bayern Munich/Transfers/Harry Kane via InstagramTopics: Football, Transfers, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Kane, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid