England captain Harry Kane has left the door open for a return to Tottenham after completing his £100million move to Bayern Munich.
Kane travelled to Germany on Friday for a medical and the Bundesliga giants confirmed on Saturday morning he had signed a deal until June 2027 and will wear the number nine shirt.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said the club had “reluctantly” agreed to the move after Kane, who was in the last 12 months of his contract, made it clear he wanted a fresh challenge.
Kane said in a message to Tottenham fans posted on his social media accounts: “It’s not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future, but it’s a thank you and I’ll see you soon.”
The 30-year-old told his new club’s website that he hoped to play some part in Bayern’s DFB Super Cup match with RB Leipzig on Saturday night as he looks to win the first trophy of his career.
“I’m very happy to be a part of FC Bayern now,” Kane said.
“Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I’ve always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career. This club is defined by its winning mentality – it feels very good to be here.
“I feel like it was the right step in my career to really push myself and test myself on the highest level so that’s why I’m here and I look forward to that challenge.”
Shortly before the deal was officially confirmed, Kane posted a message on social media in which he thanked the fans and said he had not wanted to start the season with his future unresolved.
“From the moment I’ve been playing I’ve been one of your own and I’ve given everything that I possibly could to make you proud and give you as many special moments and memories to hopefully last forever,” Kane said.
“This is a message to all you fans around the world, every single Tottenham fan that’s supported me and been with me throughout my journey.
“Me and my family will cherish it forever, we’ll never forget all the moments we’ve had together so thank you.
“I felt like it was the time to leave. I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk.
“I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies so I wish Ange (Postecoglou) and all the boys all the very best of luck.
“I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.”
Postecoglou had revealed on Friday that Kane’s move was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night.
It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern, who will pay an initial £100m with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to an overall fee of £120m, the PA news agency understands.
Kane leaves Tottenham having scored 280 goals to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but without a trophy.
“I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies so I wish Ange (Postecoglou) and all the boys all the very best of luck,” Kane said.
“I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.”
Bayern had seen their previous bids for Kane turned down, but refused to give up their pursuit of the 30-year-old, who remains 47 goals shy of equalling Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260.
Levy told the club’s website: “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term.
“Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer.
“We have seen a product of our academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey.”
Howe bemoans 'strange decisions' from Newcastle in West Ham defeat
Eddie Howe bemoaned some "strange decisions" and individual errors as Newcastle United lost 2-0 against West Ham at St James' Park.
Newcastle's three-match winning run in all competitions was halted as goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka earned West Ham victory in Monday's Premier League clash.
Soucek's 10th-minute opener came via a free header from a corner, while Wan-Bissaka had space inside the box to get a shot away for his goal early in the second half.
At the other end, Alexander Isak failed to find the target from any of his six shots, including one Opta-defined big opportunity at 1-0 down.
Reflecting on the defeat, Howe told Sky Sports: "It was a mixed night for us. In the first 60 minutes, although we were 2-0 down, we played some good football.
"But I was disappointed by the two goals we conceded and the last half-hour was really disappointing. We got our organisation wrong and made a couple of individual errors.
"If you leave a player with Tomas Soucek's aerial ability unmarked, you are going to pay the price. It's something we have to learn from.
"I was always confident we were in the game and there was a very good chance we could come back. But we missed some gilt-edged chances in the first half.
"I didn't feel we really got going in the second half. We made some strange decisions. I didn't like the end part of the game."
Newcastle have now lost two of their past three Premier League home games, as many losses as in their previous 20 outings at St James' Park.
The Magpies tasted defeat against West Ham in the Premier League for only the second time in 11 outings and dropped one place to 10th in the table, four points adrift of the top four.
"It's a really difficult one to take," Newcastle defender Lewis Hall told BBC Sport. "It was a massive game for us. We'd have been two points off second if we won.
"It was a frustrating game for us. We had a lot of the ball. When you are on top, you have to find a way to put the ball in the net, which we didn't do today."
Newcastle have failed to find the net in three of their past six league games and have just 13 goals for the season – only Everton, Crystal Palace (both 10) and Southampton (nine) have fewer.
"We know we can score goals," Hall added. "This season, we've defended better than we've attacked. But last season, we attacked better than we defended.
"It's about doing both. My message to the fans is to stick with us. Everyone works so hard throughout the week."
Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario sidelined with broken ankle
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is set for a spell on the sidelines after fracturing his right ankle, the club have confirmed.
Vicario produced a couple of excellent saves to keep out Manchester City on Saturday, as Ange Postecoglou's Spurs claimed a stunning 4-0 victory over the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
However, the Italian needed treatment during the first half after colliding with Savinho, and it has now been revealed he played the final hour of the match with an ankle break.
The former Atalanta shot-stopper wrote on social media: "Sometimes football gives you its highs, and sometimes it challenges you in ways you don't expect.
"I played 60 minutes at the Etihad with a broken bone in my ankle, giving absolutely everything I had for the team.
"Unfortunately there was no way around this one. I needed surgery. I'm disappointed I won't be able to help the team for a while."
Tottenham did not put a timescale on Vicario's recovery in a statement of their own, saying: "We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario has undergone surgery for a fracture of his right ankle.
"Guglielmo will be assessed by our medical staff to determine when he can return to training. We're all behind you, Vic."
Bowen: Victory at Newcastle 'a really big turning point' for West Ham
Jarrod Bowen praised the manner of West Ham's victory at Newcastle United and believes it will act as "a really big turning point" in his side's campaign.
West Ham won 2-0 at St James' Park in Monday's Premier League contest thanks to goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The victory is just the Hammers' fourth in 12 league matches under Julen Lopetegui, who has seen his job as head coach called into question early in his tenure.
Bowen, who assisted Wan-Bissaka's goal, believes things are now starting to turn for his side after a slow start to the campaign.
Asked by Sky Sports if it could be a big win for Lopetegui, Bowen replied: "I think it is for everyone associated with the club. We've been disappointed with our start.
"We have to take responsibility and do our work. We haven't done that to a high enough ability this year. It was a real big moment and this is a really big turning point in our season.
"[Lopetegui] has come in with different ideas and playing from the back but also mixing it up as well.
"That's up to us to adapt too, and he has come in with fresh good ideas, especially for us attacking players. We are getting there."
Bowen overtook Paolo Di Canio with his 79th Premier League goal involvement for West Ham and is now behind only Michail Antonio (101) and Mark Noble (82).
Wan-Bissaka's strike early in the second half added to Soucek's 10th-minute opener, with that his fourth Premier League goal against Newcastle – against no team does he have a better record.
West Ham remain 14th in the league but are now just three points off the top-half places, with a home match against Arsenal next up on Saturday.
Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, was pleased with the win but believes there is more to come from his side.
"We are happy. I think that we played well," he told Sky Sports. "We played with one identity and we were able to overcome a very good team.
"They started well and it is always good to have more confidence. They had two chances and I think in the second half we did well and deserved to win.
"I am happy for the players, for the team and for the fans. They will have to drive a lot of miles so we are happy for them. We look forward to the next challenge. We are happy but we have a lot of work to do.
"We have to build as a team if we are to work and know what we want to do. I think about their play. That is the thing that we try to do.
"We have a lot of matches that we need to do and I believe in the future this team is going to be able to show the style as a team.
"The players believe and they are able to put in the focus every day. Each match is one incredible challenge in the Premier League."
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