(Football news) Bayern Munich must have gotten the hint after Daniel Levy left them on double-grey ticks more than 48 hours after their deadline for a response.
They’ll have to work harder if they want Harry Kane, or even the decency of a response. To be fair to Bayern, they have demonstrated some willingness. Their third bid, following a dismal opening and a half-hearted follow-up, was unquestionably closer to the amount Levy would want to become The Man Who Sold Kane. Bayern offered roughly $100 million in the incorrect currency.
According to several reports, the Bavarians bid roughly £86 million, including add-ons, which was inevitably rejected. That followed face-to-face negotiations in London at the beginning of last week, from which Bayern must have come away with a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
It is now up to them to live up to those expectations. Bayern appear to have spent the majority of the summer expecting Spurs to capitulate, displaying an appalling naivety about who they are dealing with and an over-inflated feeling of their own authority. Bayern needs this deal more than Spurs. They, more than Kane, need it to happen.
Tottenham and England’s all-time leading scorer is in a dream situation. He appears to be interested in joining Bayern, but he will not press the subject, and there is no need for him to. In a year, he can choose from a variety of clubs. In the interim, he may continue to be liked and revered in a rebuild guided by Ange Postecoglou.
Bayern will not be the only club vying for Kane’s signature next summer, as they are currently. They currently have unrestricted access to one of the world’s most lethal centre-forwards. And Christ understands how much people rely on him.
Since selling Robert Lewandowski a year ago, Bayern Munich’s frontline has had a vacancy nearly the size of Manchester United’s assault. Last season, the Bundesliga champions got away with it, but only just. They had to rely on their nearest opponents going peak-Dortmund and caving in on the season’s last day. Even still, it was a closer shave than it should have been.
They’ve now sold Sadio Mane, one of their limited options for playing through the centre. If they don’t sign Kane, they’ll have to look elsewhere. And, as United discovered, any forward capable of tying Kane’s boots will not be cheap. Mostly because there aren’t many of them.
Bayern’s honorary president, Uli Hoeness, has already stated why Kane is their priority goal. He checks more boxes in terms of profile and effect than Randal Kolo Muani or Dusan Vlahovic, and he is more approachable than Victor Osimhen.
And Spurs, who are fearful of losing their figurehead, are aware that Bayern is also attempting to salvage face. Any Plan B would entail an embarrassing retreat from a club looking to reassert itself as one of the game’s most potent hitters.
Their new CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, is keen for an early victory, while president Herbert Hainer won’t be at Bayern for long. Bayern need the show of intent that acquiring Kane would deliver only slightly more than they wish to avoid the disgrace of missing out after a chastening season that they got away with by the skin of their teeth.
And time is of the importance right now. Bayern’s deadline of last Friday was, as predicted, ignored by Levy, but both clubs, as well as Kane, are reported to desire a resolution before next weekend, when Spurs begin their Premier League season and Bayern face RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup.
Hoeness stated last month that Tottenham would have to capitulate, eliciting groans throughout Bavaria and beyond. That statement is as false now as it was then. Spurs will have to make a concession in order to bring Kane to Munich.
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