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ALL English eyes were on Harry Kane this week as he bagged a brace in Bayern Munich’s Champions League grudge match against Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso’s side were the latest ones to make Kane’s wait for that elusive first major title of his career when they ended Munich’s decade of domestic supremacy last term.
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Kane’s double on Wednesday night inspired Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win in the Champions League last 16, putting them in good stead for advancing past their German counterparts in Europe’s elite competition.
But irrespective of what happens in next week’s second leg, there seems nothing that can prevent that German title medal going round his neck within a few weeks.
Bayern are eight points – effectively nine given their hugely better goal difference – clear of Leverkusen with 10 games to play.
And their remaining opponents including six of the bottom eight and only Mainz and Leipzig in the top six.
It means Kane is on course to lay that bogey – and think about the OTHER main club goal of his career.
That would be for him to overhaul Alan Shearer’s Prem record tally of 260 goals – and potentially set a mark that might NEVER be broken.
Kane scored 213 goals in 320 top flight games for Spurs before his £100m move to Bavaria in 2023, meaning he is just 47 goals behind Shearer’s tally – set in 441 appearances for Blackburn and Newcastle.
Despite his impressive stats at Bayern, with 57 goals in 58 Bundesliga appearances and 73 in 78 matches in all competitions, Kane is not universally popular, being questioned over his contribution outside the 18-yard box and in the “big” games.
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Last month, claims that he might be available this summer if a club matched his £67m release clause were not denied.
That looked to open the door to a Prem return. So where could Kane, who turns 32 in July, go?
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A return to N17 would be the dream of Spurs fans – even if the club splashed out £65m to land Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth last summer.
Kane became Tottenham’s all-time record scorer in his final season at the Lane, ending on 280 goals from 435 games as he went past Jimmy Greaves’ mark.
Many Spurs fans remain convinced they would have been playing Champions League football this season if the club had put faith in Ange Postecoglou working his magic with Kane in the side – even if that would have risked him leaving for nothing last summer.
Kane was desperate to land silverware with Tottenham – he spent nearly two decades at the club and will always be “one of our own”.
But Kane also felt let down by Daniel Levy when his proposed move to Manchester City fell through in 2021 and it is unclear if he would consider a return to the club while the current hierarchy are in place.
Or if Spurs would be willing to meet that asking price.
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GettyARSENAL
Unthinkable, surely.
Kane knows how Sol Campbell is remembered by Tottenham fans after he walked out on the club to join the Gunners in 2001 – and even if it was not a direct swap he would risk destroying his reputation.
But one of the most famous pictures of the young Kane was him wearing an Arsenal shirt and celebrating the “Invincibles” and their 2004 triumph – when the Prem was won at White Hart Lane.
He was also on Arsenal’s books as a youngster, released after a year in their academy at the age of nine and who was then picked up by Watford before joining Spurs in 2004.
Despite that, Kane has always insisted he grew up as a Spurs fan in a Spurs-supporting family.
And Arsenal supporters loathed him with a passion when he scored goal after goal against them – accusing him of all sorts of nefarious activities because he was so streetwise on top.
Yet Arsenal’s need for a proper No 9 has become a running joke in the game – even more than previously this season.
There is no better authentic line leader than Kane, even into his early 30s.
Can you imagine how much delight there would be from the Gooners if that happened?
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Kane (left) celebrated Arsenal’s invincible season dressed in full kit
Kane (front row, far left) also spent a year on the books at Arsenal as a kidCHELSEA
When Mauricio Pochettino was unveiled as Chelsea boss in 2023, the spectre of Kane following him into Stamford Bridge left many Spurs fans suffering nightmares.
Barely 18 months on and Pochettino is long gone.
But Chelsea’s need for a totemic central striker who can also be a creator supreme has not gone away.
The new Chelsea transfer approach under Todd Boehly has been focused on young players, long-term deals and potential future sales value.
That would not be a situation with Kane, who has maybe four seasons at the top level left in his locker, with little or no sell-on value even after a couple of campaigns.
While it is hard to envisage Kane wearing Arsenal’s red shirt, the animosity towards Chelsea from Spurs fans is nowhere near as strong – even if it is arguably even deeper the other way, with many Blues supporters viewing Tottenham as their REAL rival.
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United wheeled out the big guns to try to lure Kane on at least two occasions in the past.
Gary Neville’s infamous golf course video interview caused major issues at boardroom level in N17, with anger through the roof.
Both times, despite the opportunities, Kane refused the invitation – making it clear that he was committed to Tottenham first time round and then effectively choosing City on the next occasion.
That Kane would consider going to a United in a state of utter flux now, if he does want to leave Germany, is even harder to imagine.
But United’s need for someone who really could make a difference is unquestioned, with fans looking at Rasmus Hojlund’s statistics and shaking their heads at the Dane.
Likewise for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, landing Kane would be a game-changer.
Remember how Robin van Persie was signed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season “present” to fire United to the title.
They have not won it since but if Kane has got the silverware monkey off his back at Bayern, he might be able to work the oracle at Old Trafford.
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