Manchester United and Real Madrid were both keen on signing 30-year-old England international Harry Kane before he ended up joining Bayern Munich.
According to a report by The Athletic, Manchester United and Real Madrid wanted to sign Harry Kane in the recently-concluded summer transfer window. Both European giants were looking for a world-class striker, and the England international was their priority. But, neither of them could strike a deal for his services, and he ended up joining German giants Bayern Munich.
Erik ten Hag had a successful first season at Manchester United as he helped them win a trophy and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. While the Red Devils did well last season, they were clearly in need of a new striker. And, their Dutch manager was keen on having Harry Kane in their ranks. While there were other names on ten Hag’s wishlist, the 30-year-old was his first choice.
Even people at the club wanted to sign him. Kane had entered the last year of his contract at Spurs. With his contract running out in less than a year and the threat of him leaving for free looming, Tottenham did not really have many options to work with. They could either get him to sign a new contract or sell him to the highest bidder.
Manchester United were well aware of the situation. But they knew that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would not sell him to a rival Premier League club. Meanwhile, Kane was clear that he would not sign a new contract until he was clear that the project under new head coach Ange Postecoglou was the right one for him.
As a result, there was a real possibility of him leaving. Despite that, Manchester United did not go hard because they did not want to get involved in long-drawn negotiations with Levy as they were well aware that there was a risk of a potential transfer collapsing at the very end.
In the end, co-owner Joel Glazer and chief executive Richard Arnold decided that going after Kane was not worth it because of financial reasons. He was seeking around £500,000 per week in wages. On top of that an expected transfer fee of more than £100 million was deemed too high for a 30-year-old. Meanwhile, even Real Madrid wanted to acquire his services.
Karim Benzema had left for the Saudi Pro League. His departure had left a huge void, and Los Blancos were keen on filling the void by signing Kane. They even submitted a £60 million bid. But, Spurs were looking for a fee close to £100 million.
So, Real Madrid decided to pull out of the race. Eventually, Kane ended up joining Bayern Munich in an £86.4 million deal. And, he is now all set to square up against Manchester United in their Champions League opener.
