Danny Murphy, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, has explained why any £57 million ($76m) transfer involving Harry Kane would be a “big risk” and a “downgrade” for the England captain if he were to head back to Tottenham. After lifting his trophy curse with Bayern Munich, the former Spurs striker is seeing a return to his homeland in the summer of 2026 speculated on.
Kane clause: Why transfer could happen in 2026
That is because there are clauses in Kane’s contract that can be triggered in upcoming windows. It is claimed that if the 32-year-old frontman were to inform Bayern in January of his desire to move on, then a deal could be done a matter of months later. The terms of said transfer package are already in place.
It has been suggested that teams in the Premier League could look at bringing Kane home – allowing him to chase down Alan Shearer’s all-time goal record in that division. Spurs have the option to match any bid made for their leading scorer, having reluctantly agreed to part with a home-grown superstar in 2023.
Kane has achieved what he set out to when bidding farewell to north London, with his silverware duck being broken when landing the Bundesliga title last season. He has also passed 100 goals for Bayern and stated how Spurs will forever hold a special place in his heart.
AdvertisementGettyHow likely is Kane return? Doubts cast over Spurs switch
Murphy, though, is not convinced that Kane will be retracing steps to familiar surroundings. The former Tottenham midfielder, speaking in association with online casino BetWright, told GOAL when asked if the odds of such a switch being agreed stand at 50/50: “I would think much less. Harry Kane is succeeding where he is at the moment – more than succeeding, he’s flying and scoring a lot of goals. He’s in a team where he thinks he can compete for the Champions League. He’s won his first league title, first trophy.
“There is always the family factor. We can never know about how that is. I remember Michael Owen being in Spain and a year in just wanting to come home with the family. We don’t know that side of Kane’s life. But from a football perspective, to go back to Tottenham, there is only one reason he would go back there and that’s because of the fact that the fans love him. In terms of football reasons, it would be to try and break Alan Shearer’s record.
“The way he is playing, if he wanted to leave Munich, I think he would have other options where he could go to another club and compete for the biggest honours on the planet – domestic titles and the Champions League. It sounds romantic going back to Tottenham but the reality is that while they are improving – I’m a big fan of Thomas Frank – he’d be going there to win a League Cup or an FA Cup. It’s a downgrade. He would be downgrading. His level of performance at the moment, he doesn’t need to.”
Value for money: Questions of £57m fee
Despite Kane’s stunning record for Bayern, and with England, Murphy has cast doubt over whether the figures being discussed for Kane – who will turn 33 in July 2026 – represent value for money. He added: “I’m a bit different with that – £57m for a 33-year-old is not something I would want my club doing. I think you know you’re not going to get anything back for that so it’s just ‘there’s 57’ and you are hoping that somebody at 33 is physically able to carry on at the level he has shown for another two or three years.
“You don’t want to play 57 million for a season. I think that’s a big risk. He hasn’t always played full seasons in the Premier League, with the intensity of it, he has had some injury problems. Although he doesn’t rely on pace and I’m sure he can play for a few more years, I’m not sure there will be too many clubs willing to pay £57 million at 33.”
GettyBayern centurion and World Cup qualification
Kane – who is under contract at the Allianz Arena through to 2027 – has hit 18 goals for Bayern this season through 10 appearances, with that haul including two-hat-tricks. He has 103 efforts in total for the German giants from 106 games. His record-setting tally with England has been taken to 76, with the most destructive of No.9s preparing to captain the Three Lions at next summer’s World Cup after seeing qualification for that tournament wrapped up.