Some loves never die. Not even when you change clubs, start winning everything elsewhere and reach the pinnacle of the game with a Ballon d’Or to your name. For Harry Kane, Tottenham will always be Tottenham. Between 2013 and 2023, he made 435 appearances and scored 280 goals for Spurs, becoming the defining player of an era at the club and one of the greatest goalscorers in Premier League history. Only Alan Shearer has scored more. Three years after leaving north London in a deal worth around €100 million, plus a further €20 million in add-ons, Kane’s connection with his former club has never quite faded. Now, having agreed a new contract with Bayern Munich, he has ensured that one particular link remains intact: a clause in Tottenham’s favour, included at his own request.
The detail was reported by The Telegraph. Kane’s new deal, which runs until 2029 and is worth a reported €500,000 a week, preserves Spurs’ right of first refusal should Bayern ever decide to sell him. For now, his attention is elsewhere. The Champions League remains the one major prize missing from his collection, while there are still records to chase in an England shirt ahead of the next major tournament. But, however hard his performances might make it to believe, Kane is already 33. At some point, he will cease to be the best striker in the world. That need not mean the end of his usefulness at the highest level. There should be plenty left in the tank, and plenty more goals to come, before retirement.
When that time comes, Tottenham would appear to be his preferred destination. The right-of-first-refusal clause was already in place when he left in 2023, and has now been carried over into the new agreement. Kane could have used the opportunity to sever that final formal tie with his former club. Instead, he has chosen to keep the door open. Should the circumstances ever arise, Spurs would have the chance to bring him back. There is little prospect of that happening any time soon. The clause would only come into play if Bayern were willing to sell and Kane wanted to return to London. For the moment, neither looks remotely likely. Kane has been emphatic about how settled he is in Munich, recently saying: “I feel perfectly at home here. I love the fans, the club, the city. We have a fantastic team and a fantastic manager in Vincent Kompany.”
For now, that is where things stand. Those close to Kane are keen to stress that any other talk about his future is pure speculation. Major League Soccer has been mentioned; so, more fancifully, has a move into American football, where his ability from set pieces might serve him well as a specialist kicker. But for all the possibilities being floated, one thing remains unchanged: Tottenham still have a place in Kane’s future, however distant it might be.