Salihamidzic reveals: Bayern were eyeing another top striker before Kane

FC Bayern München v VfB Stuttgart - DFB Cup Final 2026

Hasan Salihamidzic has revealed the details of Bayern Munich's pursuit of Harry Kane, whom they ultimately prised from Tottenham Hotspur for a transfer fee of €95 million.

"When it became clear in autumn 2021 that Robert Lewandowski would leave FC Bayern Munich in summer 2022, 'we held discussions and had to think about who might be next'," recalled Salihamidzic, the club's sporting director from 2020 to 2023, on Sport1's *Doppelpass*.

At Säbener Straße, it was clear "that he had to be the one, because he really has qualities that hardly anyone else possesses," explained Salihamidzic, noting that Kane quickly became Munich's number one transfer target in the search for a successor to Lewandowski (who moved to FC Barcelona in 2022).

However, Kane's club at the time, Tottenham, "closed the door pretty quickly back then and didn't want to talk about it at all," Salihamidzic continued. As a result, a move for the English star striker was not feasible in 2022, so the club turned to Sadio Mané to fill the void in attack. The Senegalese forward arrived from Liverpool but was unhappy in Munich and left after just one season.

Hasan Salihamidzic

FC Bayern Munich had also been weighing up a move for Erling Haaland.

Naturally, Bayern also considered other targets as alternatives to Kane. Kylian Mbappé, then still at Paris Saint-Germain, "was completely out of the question financially," Salihamidzic emphasised, adding that the club swiftly ruled out a move for the now-Real Madrid star. "Haaland was also on the agenda. We naturally made sure that it had to be a top striker," the former Bayern boss continued.

Bayern had been keen to bring Haaland to Munich, but after his rapid ascent at Borussia Dortmund, the Norwegian chose Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

As a result, Bayern remained fully committed to signing Kane in 2023. "At FC Bayern, you need someone who wins games, whether that was Giovane Elber back then, Lewa, or now, of course, Kane. But you have to proceed very carefully because it costs a fair bit of money. For us, however, it was clear that he was the number one candidate," said Salihamidzic.

Harry Kane Erling Haaland Bayern Munich Manchester City 2025-26

Will Harry Kane extend his contract with Bayern Munich?

In April 2023, Bayern's management travelled to London to meet Harry Kane's family. "He has a great family; his dad and brother are very nice, and we had some good conversations," Salihamidzic revealed. The 49-year-old was sacked at the end of May 2023, so he was no longer involved in the final push to sign the England captain.

"Then the lads (his successors, ed.) took it forward. Of course, it wasn't easy to prise Harry Kane away from London, but Bayern have the clout and they did it," said Salihamidzic. The transfer has justified its enormous fee: in three years so far, Kane has already scored a staggering 146 goals for the German champions.

"As soon as he gets a clear sight of goal, it's usually a goal. […] He's simply dangerous. There's no striker in Europe who's in such form right now, or rather: who's been playing at such a consistently high level for years like him. That's why he's absolutely a Ballon d'Or candidate," Salihamidzic enthused about the 32-year-old.

Kane's contract with Bayern runs until 2027, and the club is keen to extend it; the player is reportedly open to staying, feeling at home in Munich with his family. However, after netting a hat-trick in Saturday's 3-0 DFB-Pokal final win over VfB Stuttgart, Kane stressed that a new deal is not a foregone conclusion: "At this stage in my career, I want to get the most out of a contract. This will be one of the last contracts I sign as a player," he explained.

Harry Kane's statistics at Bayern Munich