The recent revelations regarding the release clauses in Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich contract have raised quite a few eyebrows. Naturally, potential suitors have appeared for one of football’s all-time great forwards, though Spurs still hold all the cards.
As reported by TeamTalk, Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Harry Kane at Old Trafford, though he is expected to refrain from directly involving himself in the club’s day-to-day football operations.
A season and half since his departure, and the veteran Englishman is still remembered fondly by the Tottenham faithful. It was revealed recently that he had a £65m release clause in his contract for the recently-concluded January transfer window. For the January transfer window next year, he’ll be available for a price of £54 million, when he’ll be in his 33rd year.
Kane’s numbers for the Bavarians have been record-breaking ever since his near-£100m move at the start of last season, though this has coincided with Bayern going trophyless for the first time in over a decade.
This season, 26 goals and 10 assists in 27 games across all competitions, Kane is leading Bayern’s charge at the top of the Bundesliga table, with Die Roten currently top of the table, six points clear of Leverkusen with 14 games left in the league season.
Kane’s current Bayern contract is set to run until the end of the 2026/27 season. Tottenham retain the first right of refusal in case another club make an approach for their former #10.
TTLB Opinion
If United’s recent cost-cutting measures are anything to go by, it’s hard to see why they would then choose to splurge £50m+ for a player who’d turn 33 in a few months’ time after the move. Regardless of how good Kane is, this would not be a prudent move.
For that matter, unless Kane ends up winning the Champions League at least once with them, spending a three-figure sum for a 30+ player will go on to be considered folly on Bayern’s part. With these clauses, they’re just looking to cut their losses.
Unless United find themselves in a title battle this time next year (in the Premier League, that is), it’s hard to advocate for such an expensive short-term call. They did succeed back in 2012/13 by making such a call with Robin van Persie, though interestingly one could argue they have never really managed to replace him in the long term. They also made a short-term desperate call by spending over £70m on Casemiro in 2022, and one can just as easily make a case for how they haven’t managed to build upon it.
