Bayern Munich star Harry Kane makes final decision on €65m release clause ahead of winter deadline amid Barcelona transfer links

Harry Kane has made a decision on his future at Bayern Munich, having been linked with both a move to Barcelona and a return to the Premier League. The England captain broke his trophy duck last season and looks on course to add more silverware to his honours list, with the German giants well placed in both the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Kane's €65m release clause

Kane's contract with Bayern reportedly contains a €65 million (57m/$76m) release clause, though it comes with strict conditions. It is thought the former Tottenham striker can only use the option if he notifies the Bundesliga champions by the end of January 2026, which would then open the door to a departure in the summer. Spurs and La Liga giants Barcelona have both been mooted as potential destinations if he were to leave Bavaria, but recent reports indicate the 32-year-old would prefer to stay put for now.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEngland captain set to stay with Bayern

According to , Kane won't take up the €65m release clause option and instead wants to sign a contract extension with Bayern. While he is ranked second in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring charts, only 47 behind record holder Alan Shearer, the striker is thought to prefer winning more silverware with Vincent Kompany's Bayern. Kane famously went through his goal-laden spell with Tottenham without winning a single piece of silverware and then had to wait the better part of two years to claim a trophy with Bayern, eventually getting his hands on the Bundesliga trophy after Bayer Leverkusen produced an incredible 2023-24 season to keep him waiting.

Barcelona keen on Kane as Lewandowski successor

Kane has been in extraordinary goalscoring form since moving to Germany. He went past 100 goals for Bayern earlier this season, having registered hauls of 44 and 41 in his first two campaigns after leaving north London. He has been prolific again this term, bagging 28 strikes in just 23 appearances, and such form has made him a clear target for Barcelona. The Catalan giants are on the lookout for a successor to Robert Lewandowski, who turned 37 years of age in August, and a presidential candidate has gone as far as saying he will try to sign Kane if he is elected ahead of current incumbent Joan Laporta.

In late November, Xavier Vilajoana said: "We have incredibly talented players at La Masia, but of course, if we don't have players, we will look elsewhere. I will always look for a player who understands Barca's DNA, not just a name. It's a dangerous thing to look for just a name, but someone who fits our style and culture.

"If we don't have a Harry Kane inside [the club], we are going to get him. Why not?"

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AFPPremier League return remains in doubt

Former club Tottenham have not been shy in admitting they would welcome Kane back to the club in the future. 

Speaking back in September, manager Thomas Frank said: "I think there’s a lot of Tottenham fans including myself who would like to see Kane back. He’s a top player. Personally, I don't think he will do it right now, if I’m honest, he’ll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well.

"He’s welcome. If he wants to join us, he’s more than welcome."

However, Kane already knows signing for Tottenham would not be a guarantee of adding to his trophy cabinet, even if the Lilywhites did end a 17-year silverware drought back in May by winning the Europa League. Instead, he looks set to focus on cementing his legacy with Bayern while trying to win a major tournament with England, having gone close in two previous European Championships. He will almost certainly feature in the recently announced March friendlies, with the Three Lions set to take on Uruguay and Japan during the next international break.

More immediately, Kane will be looking to get back on the scoresheet when Bayern face Mainz on Sunday, having failed to hit the back of the net during the victory over Sporting CP on Tuesday.

Vincent Kompany plays down Man City links after Bayern Munich boss tipped to replace Pep Guardiola

Vincent Kompany played down links with Manchester City after Bayern Munich chief tipped the Belgian coach to replace Pep Guardiola at Etihad Stadium in future. Kompany played under Guardiola at City for three seasons and is heavily influenced by the Spanish coach's style and philosophy. The 39-year-old joined the Bavarian club in the summer of 2024.

  • Kompany linked to Man City

    In his maiden season in Munich, Kompany helped Bayern regain the Bundesliga title after they lost it to Bayer Leverkusen during the 2023-24 campaign. In the current season, Kompany oversaw a blistering start for the Bavarian side, who are currently enjoying a rich vein of form across all competitions. 

    In the Bundesliga, they sit at the top of the table with 34 points from 12 matches, having won 11 and drawn one. Their most recent league outing saw them thrash Freiburg 6-2 at the Allianz Arena, with goals coming from Lennart Karl, a brace from Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano, Harry Kane, and Nicolas Jackson. Their Champions League campaign has been equally impressive. They enjoyed a flawless record until their last fixture against Arsenal, where they lost 3-1 and suffered their first defeat of the season. 

    Kompany has received praise from club president Uli Hoeness as the Bayern chief claimed that the Belgian would one day replace Guardiola at Etihad Stadium. Speaking at the recent ‘Power Days’ business event, Hoeness said: "Kompany learned a lot from Pep Guardiola. When [sporting director] Max Eberl suggested Kompany as the third or fourth option, Karl-Heinz [Rummenigge] and I called Pep Guardiola, with whom we are both very good friends, and asked him. Pep said, ‘You can take him blindly, he’s a fantastic coach, he’ll even take over Man City someday when I’m no longer there.'"

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    Tipped to replace Guardiola at Man City?

    Speaking about the links to his former club and Hoeness' comment, Kompany said: "I've often said, I'm not here to comment on Uli Hoeness' statements. I have huge respect for him. But in football I can't think that far ahead, my focus is on Bayern and what we can achieve now. I like to just live in the world I have in front of me now, that takes up all my time. I have zero thoughts about other teams, I only see FC Bayern."

  • Kompany not bothered by recent drop in form

    Bayern's sensational form has gone down a bit in the past couple of weeks as some key errors have been noticed in their matches of late. Against Freiburg, Bayern conceded two early goals before coming back from the setback to score six and pick up a thumping win in the end. Then came the 3-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League.

    Kompany, however, is not too worried about the drop in form as he told reporters: "We started the season by scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes. It was to be expected that it would change. But falling behind is something we're working on, putting a greater focus on. I still think it's normal circumstances but if it starts to become a pattern, we'll have to work on breaking through that. But the last 20 games we've usually led 3-0 after 20 minutes, that's been the case much more often."

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    Kompany wants to end Bayern's wait for DFB Pokal

    After helping the club win back the Bundesliga title last season, Kompany now aims to win the DFB Pokal too, a trophy that Bayern have not won since 2020. Ahead of the club's  DFB Pokal round of 16 clash against Union Berlin on Wednesday, the Belgian coach said: "At the end of the season, we'd like to have this pressure again, even more. We want to put in a good performance and win – we're prepared for anything, for 90 minutes or another 30. It's positive pressure. You can always say you want to win everything — but it takes work and attitude. If we show tomorrow how hungry we are for the final, then we have a good chance."

Stats – Kohli goes past Sangakkara, Rohit equals Tendulkar

India’s elder statesmen turned the clock back at the SCG, crossing a number of statistical milestones along the way

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Oct-20252:03

Chopra: Rohit and Kohli keep adding confidence

14,255 Runs by Virat Kohli in ODI cricket. He is now the second-highest run-getter in the format, going past Kumar Sangakkara (14,234). He stands behind only Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 18,426.9 Hundreds for Rohit Sharma in ODIs against Australia, the joint-most by any batter alongside Tendulkar. Only one batter has scored more hundreds against an opposition in ODIs – 10 against Sri Lanka by Kohli, who also has nine against West Indies.Related

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6 ODI hundreds for Rohit in Australia, the most by a visiting player in the country, going past Kohli and Kumar Sangakkara, who have five each. Five of Rohit’s six hundreds in Australia have come against the home team. No other batter has more than three hundreds against Australia in Australia.70 50-plus scores for Kohli in ODI chases, the most by any batter, going one ahead of Tendulkar (69).17 Hundreds for Rohit in ODI chases, the same as Tendulkar, and only behind Kohli’s 28.Rohit now has 50 hundreds across formats in International cricket. Only nine other batters have scored as many so far.Rohit has now scored six ODI hundreds in Australia, the most by a visiting batter•Cricket Australia via Getty Images1 Players older than Rohit, who was 38 years and 178 days old on Saturday, to score an ODI century for India. Tendulkar was 38 years and 327 days old when he scored 114 against Bangladesh in 2012.Rohit is also the second-oldest batter to score an ODI hundred in Australia, after Geoff Boycott, who was 39 years and 51 days old when he scored 105 against Australia, also at the SCG, in 1979.12 150-plus stands between Rohit and Kohli in ODIs, the joint-most by any pair in the format, alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.Their century stand in Saturday’s ODI was their 19th overall, the third-most by any pair in the format. Tendulkar and Ganguly are at the top with 26 century stands, while Kumar Sangakkara and Tilakaratne Dilshan are second with 20.1454 Partnership runs between Rohit and Kohli in ODIs against Australia, across 27 innings. Only one pair has more partnership runs against an opponent – 1484 by Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson against Pakistan.2106 Days between the last two century partnerships between Rohit and Kohli in international cricket. The previous one was also in an ODI against Australia, back in January 2020, when they added 137 for the second wicket. In between, the pair had batted 49 times across formats (nine times in Tests, 20 in ODIs and 20 in T20Is) without a century stand.3 Wins for India against Australia across the 20 ODIs they have played at the SCG. Their previous two wins came in 2008 and 2016.

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