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There were Manchester United staff who believed that signing Harry Kane would transform their team into title contenders. Erik ten Hag’s thinking was along the same lines. So, while striker options were being assessed towards the end of last season, Kane was at the top of the United manager’s list.
But on Wednesday night, when United face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena to begin their Champions League group campaign, Kane will play for the serial German champions instead of Ten Hag’s team, which gives immediate cause to reflect on why the much-hyped transfer never happened.
United had considered a move for Kane at various stages over the last few years but, in May, the stars finally seemed to be aligning. Kane was about to enter the final year of his contract with Tottenham Hotspur and United had qualified for the Champions League, while Spurs missed out on Europe altogether.
United knew that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had two options in the summer window: sell Kane or get him to sign a new contract somehow. Losing Kane for nothing at the end of the 2023-24 season was not an option for the north London club.
Kane made it clear that he would refuse to extend his contract until the new season was underway and he had had a chance to assess what life was like under new Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou. So that left a sale as the most likely outcome, and although Levy made it known that he would be against allowing the England captain to join any of their domestic rivals, Ten Hag wanted United to test the waters.
(Photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
However, in mid-June, United had decided to opt for Rasmus Hojlund as their big striker signing instead of Kane.
For starters, director of football John Murtough always felt it was unwise to become embroiled in a protracted negotiation with Levy who had no guarantee of a compromise, having been hit by Barcelona’s prolonged pursuit of Frenkie de Jong in 2022. which ended in disappointment. for United.
Murtough believed that Levy would not sell Kane to another Premier League club and preferred to focus his energies on more realistic goals. However, there were people close to United who thought the only way to really know was to ask the question to people relevant to the player and Spurs.
However, there was a more fundamental issue.
In United’s model, the recruiting department or manager has the right to veto targets, and scouts rejected the idea of signing Kane.
In the end, co-owner Joel Glazer and CEO Richard Arnold decided that going with Kane was not a reasonable use of resources considering his age. United had been told that Kane was asking for 30 million pounds ($37.1 million) in annual wages, about 500,000 pounds a week, and after adding an expected transfer fee of more than 100 million pounds, the club ruled that the cost was too high for a 30-year-old team. year old.
Ten Hag may not have agreed with that calculation, given Kane’s proven pedigree, but he accepted the decision in the context of the budget once the realities of financial fair play were explained to him. But Ten Hag did not fail to praise Kane every time he was asked about the player.
In August, as Kane’s move to Bayern for more than €100m (£86.4m, $110m) was confirmed, Ten Hag said: “He’s a great striker, of course, a goalscorer; and apart from that he has all the conditions and skills that one would like to see in a striker. He is a failure for the Premier League, absolutely.”
At the time, United had agreed a deal worth £72m with Atalanta for Hojlund. While the Dane’s transfer fee was closer to Kane’s than had been anticipated, his salary was much lower, which became a major factor. At 20 years old, his age too. Ten Hag has spoken glowingly of Hojlund’s abilities.
Despite all the hype about Kane in April and May, there were never any real conversations between people at United and Tottenham, nor with the player’s representatives, led by his brother Charlie.
(Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images)
Instead, there was an approach from Saudi Arabia, with one club there indicating that they were prepared to offer a scale of transfer fee that Tottenham would accept immediately. But Kane’s camp rejected talks because they did not want to be disingenuous about their intentions. He wanted to continue his career in Europe.
And three of the continent’s biggest clubs were interested.
Real Madrid submitted an offer of £60m and Paris Saint-Germain also approached. But it was Bayern who engaged Levy in negotiations for several weeks, leading to an announcement on August 12. A deal was agreed the previous midnight for a fee of more than €100m, although there was a late bump in the road when the Germans were asked to pay another £20m at 2.30am. Spurs insist there were no further negotiations.
Bayern had booked a plane for Kane to leave for Munich at 7:00 a.m., but at 5:30 a.m. Bayern officials ordered him not to fly. Kane told Spurs that he was prepared to train with them if it was not resolved.
In the end, the originally agreed price was upheld and Kane, who had barely slept, flew to Germany later that day.
Read more: Secret meeting and late tension: the inside story of how Harry Kane left Tottenham for Bayern
If United predicted that kind of ability at the last moment, some close observers felt the club could still have used Bayern as a workhorse, sensing a rare opportunity to bring in a player of singular talent. Their argument was that once Tottenham agreed a fee with Bayern, United should have matched it. If Levy had refused to sell, it could have been a case of restraint of trade for Kane.
But that prospect ended once United signed Hojlund, who was also on Bayern’s list before moving on with Kane.
There was an element of irony in United’s delight in getting their transfer work done earlier than usual. Kane ended up making his Bayern debut three weeks before Hojlund played for United because the Dane arrived with a back problem.
Kane might not have chosen United anyway. He was open to a move to Manchester, but he also raised questions about the state of the club and was unsure it was the right place for his next move, especially amid uncertainty over his ownership. Bayern, as genuine Champions League contenders, were a more attractive prospect. So was the opportunity to experience a new country.
“Over the summer I know there were some background conversations between some clubs,” Kane said. “Bayern was a team that interested me a lot and excited me; Actually, there weren’t many other discussions once they arrived.
“Everything depended on Tottenham and Bayern. Manchester (United) is a big club, a really big club, but I decided to come here and I’m very happy I did.”
The reaction has been seen throughout Germany.
The Bundesliga Twitter account posted about Kane’s availability for their fantasy football match and to date Bayern have sold 220,000 shirts bearing his name, with an annual goal of one million.
“It is something very important, we have taken the England captain out of England,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. “Anyone who was looking for a (No) 9 would be happy to have Harry in the team. He improves the team and he gives you what you want from a nine.
“I’m not sure what is happening at other clubs, but we are more than happy that he finally made the decision and came to improve us.”
For Kane, Bayern’s decision was more than anything a matter of respect: taking on a new challenge and having the pressure of needing to win. He’s off to a good start, scoring four goals and assisting once in his first four Bundesliga games.
“There is a reason why Bayern Munich brought me to the club,” Kane said. “They were eager to win the Champions League again. They feel that I can be of great help and I also feel that I can help the team.
“Time will tell how the game (against United) develops.” First we have to focus on the group stage and getting off to a good start tomorrow will be important. “That’s why I’m here, I want to play in competitions at the highest level.”
Kane has not ruled out the possibility of playing in England again. He believes he has seven or eight years left at Europe’s top level, and it is possible to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record (he is 47, 213 to 260) by playing a couple more seasons.
For now, however, he has the chance to show United first-hand what they could have gotten had they taken the step.
(Top photo: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)