Bayern Munich anticipated Robert Lewandowski’s exit in October or November 2021 and began planning for a successor. Talks and contact attempts continued until the end of the season, but Tottenham initially refused to engage. Bayern concluded that Harry Kane was the best fit because he had rare qualities and because the club needed a striker who could win games. Financial constraints ruled out alternatives such as Kylian Mbappé, while Erling Haaland remained a possibility. After Thomas Tuchel was hired in March and Sadio Mané’s situation ended dramatically, Bayern prioritized Kane. In April, Bayern agreed Kane would be the top transfer target, traveled to London to meet Kane’s family, and continued follow-up negotiations to secure the transfer.
"“When it became clear that (Robert) Lewandowski was leaving - that was back in October, November 2021 - we held talks and had to think about who could be next,” said Salihamidžić. “Then we tried to make contact, and that dragged on until the end of the season. But Tottenham closed the door pretty quickly back then and didn't want to talk about it at all.”"
"“It had to be him, because he truly possesses qualities that hardly anyone else has. When you look at who else could have been brought in. (Kylian) Mbappé was completely out of the question financially. (Erling) Haaland was also a possibility. Of course, we made sure it had to be a top striker.”"
"“At FC Bayern, you need someone who wins games, whether that was Giovane Élber back then, Lewandowski, or now of course Kane. But you have to proceed very carefully because it costs a few euros. For us, it was still clear that he was the number one candidate.”"
"“We got a new coach in March: Thomas Tuchel. About four weeks later, sometime in April, we sat down and were clearly in agreement that Kane would be our number one transfer target. That same week, we went to London and met the family. He really has a great family; his father and brother are very nice, and we had some good conversations. Then the guys (Salihamidžić's eventual successors after he was sacked) followed up on it.”"
Read at Bavarian Football Works
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