Harry Kane deal from Spurs to Bayern was ‘blackmail’, says Lothar Matthäus

Harry Kane moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich after a lengthy period of negotiations and rumours. Now, ex-Bayern star, Lothar Matthäus, has had his say on the move, calling it ‘blackmail’.

Kane, 30, spent his entire career in England until a move came to Bayern Munich. The deal was reported to have cost the German champions a fee in the region of €100 million, despite the player only having one year left on his contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

Matthäus says Spurs ‘blackmailed’ Bayern in Kane deal

Lothar Matthäus, ex-Bayern and Germany captain as well as a Ballon d’Or winner, said that “the Bayern directors were and are 100% convinced that Harry Kane was the signing”. For months the rumours swirled that boss of the club, Thomas Tuchel, had singled out the Englishman as his star of the summer. “So”, he continued, “they arrived at those limits. Maybe that’s why Tottenham ‘have blackmailed’ Bayern. A million more and then a little more...”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is known for being a tough negotiator, and Bayern’s deal to sign Kane took a long time, with various clubs having looked at the player before the Germans jumped in. Real Madrid - and especially Carlo Ancelotti - had named Kane as a potential replacement for Benzema, but the Spanish club decided against the deal.

Matthäus compares Kane to Lewandowski

“We wanted this player”, said Matthäus before almost criticising the fee paid, saying “100 million for a 30-year-old”. The ex-Bayern captain then compared Kane to the player who he has (finally) replaced: Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker left Bayern for FC Barcelona in 2022 after scoring over 200 goals for the club. “Lewandowski is three years older [than Kane] and we sold him for 50 [million euros]. I hope it ends up being worth it.”

Kane is Tottenham Hostpur’s all-time record goal scorer and is just 47 goals behind the all-time top scorer of the Premier League, Alan Shearer. Kane sits on 213 - and will do so until he returns (if indeed he does) - while Shearer, who played for Newcastle and Blackburn, is on 260 goals in the Premier League.

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