‘I was sitting in London’: Harry Kane opens up on tense Bayern transfer saga

Harry Kane was unsure if his transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich would go through after two days of ‘roller coaster’.

Kane has endured a whirlwind 72 hours since Spurs agreed a fee with the German club on Thursday, culminating in the England captain’s revelation to the press on Sunday lunchtime.

He had already made his debut by then, coming on as a substitute in the second half of the DFL-Supercup, but his wait for the first silverware of his career continues after Bayern’s 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig.

It was a race against time to get Kane registered in time to play after his flight to Germany and subsequent medical treatment was delayed after Spurs returned to the negotiating table at the last minute.

The £100m deal was finally done, although Kane admits he sweated for a while.

“It’s obviously been a busy few days, a busy week, this is my first transfer I’ve been on, it was a top down experience for sure, but I’m happy to be here now.” he declared. “I wish Tottenham the best, I wish Daniel Levy the best, but I’m focusing here now and trying to help this time and I’m just happy we managed to do that and I’m delighted to start.

“The talks have been going on for a few months and I have always said that if there was an agreement that was suitable for all three parties, we could do it. At the start of the last year of my contract, I did not want this be a distraction for the new manager and the Tottenham team. I was excited to come.

“The last 48 hours of the deal have been quite hectic, a bit like a rollercoaster, but I was really, really happy when we crossed the line. Two days ago I was sitting in London and we weren’t sure how it was going to be.

The 30-year-old, who broke Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring record last season, leaves a club he joined aged 11 and a club where he was desperate to earn money silverware.

It has become apparent over recent seasons that he would not be able to fulfill his ambitions at Spurs and, with one year remaining on his contract, he knew it was time to move on, even if he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

“It will always be a difficult decision, I have been at Tottenham for 19 years of my life, everyone knows the club is linked to me and to my heart,” he said. “I am a professional and I have always pushed myself to my limits. I just felt like the time was right, I needed to play at the highest level, in the Champions League, trying to win titles every year. When I thought about it and Bayern contacted me, it was a decision I wanted to make.

“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, I texted the group that I was leaving and when I get the chance to come back I’ll come in and say goodbye properly. Not just the players, but the staff, the chefs, the kitmen, the physios, people that I spent 15 years of my life with I didn’t have that time because it was so up and down, but that’s for sure that over the next few weeks I will have time.

Kane is leaving the Premier League just 48 goals shy of Alan Shearer’s all-time record but has hinted he will one day return with the aim of surpassing the former Newcastle and Blackburn striker.

“People will talk about Shearer but I have a lot of football left in my career,” he said. “Right now I’m just trying to focus on getting things done here, trying to push myself and the team to try to reach new levels for this club. That’s what I’m on. concentrate now.

Kane’s move to Germany is complicated as his wife Kate is heavily pregnant with their fourth child. She will return to London on Monday with the rest of their young family, Kane saying a decision will be made on where she will give birth.

“My wife Kate has been really supportive of me, she wants the best for me and my career so she told me to push, she wants me to play and be happy and that’s why we made the decision” , Kane added.

For Bayern, getting Kane is a big statement of intent as they try to conquer Europe after a difficult couple of seasons in the Champions League. But their greatest victory might have been to complete cordial negotiations with Spurs chairman Levy, a feat that many clubs have failed to achieve.

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has gotten on so well with Levy that he plans to treat her to dinner.

He said: “Daniel and I have grown closer over the last two weeks for sure. It was quite a difficult negotiation, Daniel is a very nice person but he knows what he wants. So two people who knew exactly what they wanted came together and that’s why it took a little longer.

“But in the end, we both have good feelings and that’s why I’ll pay for dinner with him.”

Back at Spurs, new captain Son Heung-min believes Richarlison can help the club fill the void left by Kane’s departure.

Son told Sky Sports ahead of their Premier League game at Brentford: “We have lost one of the best strikers in the world but I think we have a good player to replace him.

“Obviously H (Kane) has scored so many goals, so every attacking player should take a big responsibility to score goals.”