Harry Kane’s big decision: Going to Bayern Munich for £95m is a guarantee of silverware and Champions League football… but a final season at Tottenham could open up more possibilities next summer

Finally a breakthrough. Tottenham Hotspur have accepted an offer of more than £95 million from Bayern Munich for their star striker Harry Kane.

Now, after weeks of weighing the pros and cons since Bayern’s interest in him materialized, Kane must make a final decision.

The dramatic development, after weeks of back and forth between the two clubs, comes just three days before Spurs kick off their Premier League campaign against Brentford.

Kane, 30, enters the final year of his contract and this summer is Spurs’ last chance to recoup what they believe is a worthy sum for the prolific England captain.

The striker has always maintained that he would have liked to deal with the situation before the new season, but does not want to make a new deal with the club he has represented since he was 11.

While Kane makes up his mind, we analyze the case for staying at Tottenham and going to Bayern.

THE MATTER OF STAYING IN TOTTENHAM

Kane’s loyalty to Tottenham, the club for which he scored 280 goals in 435 appearances, was evident in his desire to secure his future before the start of the season.

He did not want to unnecessarily disrupt new coach Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the new season and would enjoy the preliminary training sessions under the Australian.

There is new optimism surrounding the club after a tense 2022-23 season, mainly under Antonio Conte, which saw them finish a hugely disappointing 8th in the Premier League and fall short in the cups.

The signings of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and others give confidence that Spurs will have a better campaign, aided by a lighter schedule in the absence of European competition.

Kane, who managed to score 32 times despite last season’s turbulence, would be willing to give it his all knowing that this will probably be his last season in north London.

He would also like to score many goals ahead of next summer’s European Championship with England, who are among the favorites of the tournament, and leave with the fans on the right note.

Kane could also go on to improve Alan Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring record – Shearer made 260 and Kane is currently 47 down on 213.

The four goals he scored in last Sunday’s friendly victory over Shakhtar Donetsk showed that a player was enthusiastic and ready for the new season.

He would be aided by indications that Postecoglou will take a more offensive approach than Conte did.

If Kane scored more than 30 times under the Italian you would support him to at least match that in a side committed to pushing forward.

The prospect of Kane being available for free next summer would also afford him the luxury of choice.

For example, if Real Madrid didn’t sign Kylian Mbappé, they would definitely be interested in Kane. Likewise Paris Saint-Germain and a number of Premier League clubs, possibly including Manchester United, were linked this summer.

A personal factor in not moving is that Kane’s wife Kate is pregnant with their fourth child, due in the coming months, and he may prefer to stay in London rather than move to Germany now.

THE CASE TO JOIN BAYERN MUNICH

Kane clearly has a serious interest in joining the German champion or we wouldn’t have gotten this far.

Bayern is also clearly a big admirer of the England star, who has pushed the financial boat significantly beyond their usual limits, making four bids.

There is no doubt that Kane would be a billboard for the club and central to Thomas Tuchel’s plans, not only for the season ahead, but for many others.

That’s reflected in the £400,000-a-week salary the German giants offer Kane – more than double what he currently earns. Moving to Bayern would give a significant financial boost.

Bayern have not sufficiently replaced Robert Lewandowski, but Kane would fit. The whole team and the way of playing would be tailored to him.

In the vast majority of games they play, Bayern are the dominant side and at the front. Kane would get a lot of service and score at least as many goals as he now scores at Spurs.

However, the difference is that those goals would translate into trophies. Lots of trophies.

Kane has made no secret of his desire to win football’s biggest trophies and, despite his best efforts and a few near misses, he hasn’t succeeded at Spurs.

Bayern are about as close to a guarantee of winning silverware as you can get in club football. They have won the Bundesliga for the past 11 years.

Even last season, a rocky season that saw Tuchel replace Julian Nagelsmann in March, they still won the title on goal difference after rivals Borussia Dortmund blew it on the final day.

Kane could also play in the Champions League again, a podium where he will feel at home in the prime of his career. Spurs did not even make it to the Europa Conference League this season.

Indeed, Bayern would expect Kane to propel them to victory in the top European league, a mission he would gladly accept.

There would also be fundamentally the freshness of a new challenge, the opportunity to test oneself in another country and competition.

He would also have no trouble adjusting as English is widely spoken in the dressing room and the city of Munich as a whole.

The Mirror reported that Bayern Kane and his family have already found a luxury mansion in the millionaire enclave of Grunwald, on the outskirts of the city, to help him settle in quickly.

It’s not as if any Spurs fan would begrudge Kane the move, after all he’s given the club over the past decade.

He’s only 30, but nothing would stop him from returning to the Premier League in a few years to break Shearer’s record, assuming he stays fit.

All Bayern needs now is a ‘yes’.