Former Manchester United defender Danny Simpson has boldly claimed that he could not see Harry Kane turning the Red Devils down if they were to make another play for the England captain in 2026. Kane is currently on the books of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, but has exit clauses in his contract that can be triggered in upcoming transfer windows – with a return to the Premier League being speculated on.
Kane transfer clause: £57m enough to do a deal with Bayern
Kane bid farewell to his homeland in 2023 when severing career-long ties with Tottenham as the club’s all-time leading scorer. He has broken his trophy duck in Germany, becoming a title winner at the Allianz Arena, while plundering more than 100 goals for Bayern.
The 32-year-old is a firm fan favourite in Munich, but questions continue to be asked of what his future holds. It has been suggested that an offer of around £57 million ($75m) would be enough to enter into talks regarding a shock deal.
Unsurprisingly, a retracing of steps for Kane is being mooted – with Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goals record still in his sights. Spurs have the option to match any offer for a product of their academy system, while United hold long-standing interest in the most prolific of No.9s.
AdvertisementAFPCould Kane join Man Utd? Prediction from ex-Red Devils star
The Red Devils have invested in faith and funds in Benjamin Sesko, but opportunities to sign players of Kane’s ilk are few and far between. They may be tempted to join the hunt for a once familiar foe if a scramble for his signature is sparked.
Simpson, who won the Premier League title with Leicester after stepping out of the fabled youth system at Old Trafford, told when asked if Kane could end up in Manchester – with Dutch star Robin Van Persie having previously joined the Red Devils in a bid to win silverware that had proved elusive at Arsenal: "I don’t know where else he could go, if I’m honest. He can’t go to City. He can’t go to Arsenal. I can’t see him turning Manchester United down.
"He can come back, and get the goals record. I’d love to see it. I said it when he was leaving Tottenham, I’d love to see him at Manchester United. It’s a good fit. If that’s an option I’d 100% go for it.
"He could help Sesko as well. Sesko would understand not playing every game, learning under Harry Kane, and not having that pressure. He’s won his trophies at Bayern now, so if he comes back and gets Manchester United back up to the top of the Premier League, he could be a Manchester United legend like when Van Persie came."
Kane warned off move to Old Trafford
While Simpson would like to see Kane at the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’, not everybody is convinced that said path should be trodden. United have struggled for consistency across several campaigns – finishing 15th last season while missing out on European qualification.
With those issues in mind, former Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet told GOAL recently when asked if Kane could return to the Premier League somewhere outside of north London: "If he goes to Man United, I won’t talk about Harry Kane anymore in my life! People talk about Man United, but this is not Man United in the last few years. He won’t go to Arsenal. The rest, I don’t know. I think people would take him back at Spurs as the player he is and the legend that he is. If he can go back and help the team in a certain way, score goals and get the record, it would be amazing. I’m not sure what will happen. Maybe he won’t go back. It’s very personal, so let’s see."
GettyKane contract: Bayern extension has been mooted
Kane has won the Bundesliga Golden Boot in each of his two seasons with Bayern. He has found the target on 107 occasions through 112 appearances. His contract is due to run until 2027, with an extension to those terms having also been mooted, but transfer speculation has been dominated by teams in England and La Liga giants Barcelona.
