Harry Kane signs for Bayern Munich, posts emotional message for Spurs fans

Bayern Munich on Saturday confirmed the signing of Tottenham striker Harry Kane on a four-year deal. The England captain will wear the No 9 shirt for the German club. While Bayern did not reveal the money involved in the deal, the media reports suggest the German club would initially pay €100 million ($110 million, £86 million) for the 30-year-old who only had one year left on his contract at Spurs. This will be followed by €10 million in bonuses. One of the best strikers in the world, Kane scored 280 goals in 435 games for Tottenham to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but without a trophy. He is also England’s all-time top goalscorer with 58 international goals.

🎬 Action! FC Bayern proudly presents 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐄. #ServusHarry #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/0xV49t2z29

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) August 12, 2023

“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 said after signing for the club. Shortly before the deal was confirmed by Bayern, Kane posted an emotional message on Instagram for the Spurs fans. “I wanted to be the first to tell you Tottenham fans that I’ll be leaving the club today. Obviously, a lot of emotions going through me right now; sad to be leaving the club I’ve spent nearly 20 years of my life at, from 11-year-old boy to a 30-year-old man now," he said. “There’s been so many great moments and special memories, memories that I will cherish forever. I felt like it was time to leave. I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk.

“I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies so I wish Ange [Postecoglou] and all the boys all the very best of luck. I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.” Kane flew to Munich on Friday evening to complete the medical where he was greeted by Bayern fans before putting pen to paper on his new contract. Six-time European champions Bayern were desperate for a striker after struggling to replace Robert Lewandowski who left for Barcelona last season. Silverware is all but guaranteed at Bayern, who have won 11 straight Bundesliga titles. The club won the Bundesliga in each of Lewandowski’s eight seasons in Munich, with the Pole averaging 30 goals per season. In 2022-23, not one Bayern player hit the 15 league goal mark. Kane has scored more than 20 league goals in all but three of the past nine Premier League seasons, winning the Golden Boot on three occasions. Despite finishing second in last season’s Premier League scoring charts behind Erling Haaland (36), Kane netted 30 league goals in 2022-23, equalling his best mark. This is not the first time Kane has been linked with a move out of London. he had been pursued by Manchester City two years ago but they failed in their pursuit. Spurs chairman Levy said the club had “reluctantly agreed to the transfer”. “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term,” Levy said. “Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer. “We have seen a product of our academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey.” (with inputs from AFP)