Harry Kane moved from Tottenham to Bayern Munich in a deal which could be worth up to £100m; Daniel Levy has confirmed Spurs have first option to re-sign the England captain; Kane appeared to refuse to rule out a return to Spurs when he left club in August
Wednesday 20 September 2023 21:07, UK
Daniel Levy has confirmed Tottenham will have first refusal to re-sign Harry Kane from Bayern Munich.
Kane joined the German club for £100m in the summer transfer window, with Spurs not wanting to risk the possibility of losing the England captain on a free transfer next summer.
Levy, who came under fire from Tottenham supporters for letting Kane go, was asked by at a fans' forum on Tuesday night if the club had a buy-back clause on the England striker.
The Tottenham chairman replied: "Of course." Levy did not go into any further detail on the manner and figures relating to that buy-back option.
Upon announcing his departure from Tottenham at the beginning of August, Kane appeared to refuse to rule out a return to the club in the future.
"It's not a goodbye as you never know how things pan out in the future," he said. "It [this farewell message] is a thank you and I will see you soon."
Kane has been in red-hot form for Bayern since making the switch to the Bundesliga champions, scoring four goals in his opening four matches.
The striker makes his Champions League debut for Bayern on Wednesday night as they host Manchester United at the Allianz Arena. United were understood to be one of the other clubs targeting Kane earlier this summer.
Sky Sports News reporter Paul Gilmour in Munich:
"This is something Daniel Levy was asked about at a fans' forum. He was asked 'is there a buy-back clause' and he replied: "Of course."
"It's essentially Tottenham having the first option to re-sign Harry Kane if he ever does come back to the Premier League. It's something similar to what they had in the Gareth Bale deal to Real Madrid.
"If another English club comes in with a bid for Kane at any point during his Bayern Munich career, and Bayern accept that bid, then Tottenham will be given first refusal to match that offer.
"It would then be up to Kane on whether he would come back to Tottenham."
Levy also addressed why he chose to hire current Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou - hinting at a change of direction from hiring "trophy managers" to focusing solely on the style of football.
"Ange is a normal bloke and it is wonderful to have a normal conversation with him," he said. "He was very direct, honest and I like someone who tells it to me how it is. Not someone who plays games or says one thing to me and says something to someone else. Not talking about anyone in particular!
"This club needed to go back to its roots. There was a lot of pressure on me to bring in a good name, but I wanted to bring the club back to its DNA, who would bring attacking football, that would give young players a chance and believe in the academy, build a relationship with the fans, understand the resources we do and don't have as a club and be part of a team. Ange is a breath of fresh air."
Levy also addressed the failings of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho - who were those "trophy managers" - and says both coaches were good managers, but not the right fit for Tottenham.
"I want to win just as much as everyone else," the Tottenham chairman added. "[There was a] frustration of not winning and the pressure from maybe some players and from a large element of the fanbase of: 'we need to win, spend money, have a big manger, a big name' affected me.
"We had gone through a period of where we almost won with Mauricio (Pochettino), we had some very good times. We didn't quite get there and we were close. We had a change in strategy of: 'lets bring in a trophy manager'. We did it twice - and you have to learn from the mistakes.
"They're great managers, but maybe not for this club. For what we want, we want to play a certain way. And if that means it takes a bit longer to win, that may be the right thing for us. That's why bringing Ange in was the right decision."
Despite Kane's departure, Tottenham have made an impressive start under new head coach Ange Postecoglou this season and are unbeaten in the Premier League with four wins to sit second.
Spurs travel to north London rivals Arsenal on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports (kick-off 2pm), and Kane insists he will keep an eye on his former club's results for the rest of his life.
"Fantastic start - I am always keeping an eye on them and think I will keep an eye on Tottenham for the rest of my life," Kane said.
"I am really happy to see the team playing the way they are and, of course, to see their fans happy as well is a great thing.
"I am sure they will be excited to keep that up. They have a massive game coming up (against Arsenal on Sunday), so for sure I will see how they get on over the course of the season."
Kane maintains Bayern Munich always felt like the right choice for his next club as the England striker prepares to face Man Utd in the Champions League.
"Obviously, over the summer I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background, but Bayern were a team I was really interested and excited by," the England captain said ahead of Wednesday night's Group A opener at the Allianz Arena.
"There were not too many other discussions once they came in. It was between them and Tottenham to talk and then the deal got done.
"My focus is on here. Manchester United are a great club, a really big club as well. I just decided to come here and am really happy I have."
