In the current football transfer rumors, Harry Kane leads the roll call of players linked with pastures new. And can Everton keep valuable asset Jarrad Branthwaite, and do Liverpool really need another striker?
Barcelona wants to sign Harry Kane from Bayern Munich
Rumor Rating: 8
It is said that the reported release clause in Harry Kane’s contract at Bayern Munich was inserted at his insistence, as a safety net in case his move to Bavaria did not work out. If that caution was understandable, given that English football was all Kane had ever known, it was unnecessary.
Since leaving Tottenham in the summer of 2023, Kane has not only won the Bundesliga title, the first major silverware of his career, but he has also become the fastest player this century to score 100 goals for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues, eclipsing a record previously held jointly by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland. This season alone, the forward has scored 22 goals in 15 games for Bayern, taking his tally to an extraordinary 110 in 108 games. It’s safe to say that Kane’s time at the Allianz Arena was a success.
Still, the details of his contract are critical. Initially set at £67 million, the asking price for one of Europe’s deadliest marksmen will drop to £54 million in January. For a player of Kane’s stature, that is little short of a bargain, especially considering how his game has developed under Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany. As Kane noted earlier this season, Kompany has taken his game to a new level.
“I’m someone who likes to start the ball and make forward passes, but that’s not always possible,” said the England captain. “So we’ve talked a lot about opening up my body, playing quickly around corners with one touch. I feel like I’ve added something to my game, that I’m not hanging on to the ball so much and [finding] a little more fluidity.”
All of this brings us neatly to Barcelona, where interest has been credited with triggering Kane’s release clause as they look for an affordable replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to leave Catalonia when his contract expires next summer. While it is no secret that Barcelona president Joan Laporta would ideally like to sign Erling Haaland, the cost of signing the Norway international from Manchester City, where he is under contract until 2034, would be prohibitive. Kane, the man who filled the goalscoring gap Lewandowski left at Bayern, would be an equally productive and altogether more viable alternative.
The obvious question is whether England’s top scorer would consider such a move. In that regard, his response to the question last month whether he would consider a return to the Premier League was instructive.
“As far as the Premier League is concerned, I don’t know,” said Kane. “If you had asked me when I first left for Bayern, I would definitely have said I would come back. Now that I have been there for a few years, I would probably say it has dropped off a bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.”
Tottenham have an option to match any bid that comes in for Kane and Thomas Frank, the north London club’s manager, has made it clear that the 32-year-old would be welcomed to his former stage with open arms. But while that might leave the forward with a tough decision at some point – he is just 47 goals behind Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260 – it was clear from what Kane said next that he is in a very different place now than when he first raised the bar for Germany two years ago.
“What I’ve learned in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall into place,” Kane said.
And yes, he added that he was “all in for Bayern” for now. But as his own words suggest, Kane, who had links with Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid before joining Bayern, now has a keener appreciation of the benefits a big move can bring. He is no longer a one-cub man. After tasting success in Bavaria, why wouldn’t he consider a move to La Liga, where he would be all but guaranteed further trophies and increase his goal tally alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha?
Barcelona’s interest could be another example of the right opportunity at the right time, of things “falling into place”. No move Kane makes at this stage of his career will come with a greater emotional shock than the one he experienced when leaving Tottenham, where he spent the better part of two decades. So a precedent has been set. Kane and his family once embraced a new country and culture; why not again? Who wouldn’t want to look back on a career that saw records broken and trophies won in three of Europe’s major competitions?
There is also the issue of individual recognition. Six of the past 10 Ballon d’Or winners have come from La Liga, with Ligue 1, Major League Soccer and the Premier League providing the rest. In the same period, only two Bundesliga players have been in the top three. Kane, who has never finished higher than 10th, has admitted he would like to win a Ballon d’Or but that is unlikely to happen at Bayern unless the club win the Champions League. Conversely, Yamal finished second this year despite Barcelona’s European Cup semi-final defeat to Inter Milan – recognition of his contribution to the domestic treble. Success in a stronger competition would increase Kane’s chances of being crowned the best player in the world.
In short, the idea of Kane stepping into the shoes of Lewandowski, the man he replaced at Bayern, has many merits. The striker has broadened his horizons over the past two seasons and a move to Barcelona would be the culmination of a career that has brought well-deserved plaudits but not enough in the form of silverware and, arguably, global recognition. The question is not so much whether Kane should move to Catalonia, but rather whether, given the opportunity, he could afford to turn it down.
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is wanted by Man Utd and Spurs
Rumor Rating: 8
When Jarrad Branthwaite committed his future to Everton this summer by signing a new five-year contract on improved terms, he said he was “over the moon”. It’s safe to assume the Everton hierarchy felt the same way.
As the club enters a new era in a new stadium, Branthwaite is seen as a pillar of a bright new future. Last summer, Everton rejected a bid of £35 plus extras for the 23-year-old from Manchester United, and held out when the Old Trafford club submitted a revised offer of £45m. However, these bids came against the backdrop of an admission from former football director Kevin Thelwell that selling players would be necessary to make ends meet.
Had United pushed harder at that point and come closer to Everton’s £70m valuation for a player who made his England debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina just a month earlier, they might have got their man. Instead, Branthwaite remained at Goodison Park, the Friedkin Group took over the club last December and the defender has since been tied down to a contract that runs until 2030. The suitors have been bluntly informed that the centre-back is not for sale, and Branthwaite himself has made it clear why he was staying put.
“The confidence the club has shown in me and the number of games I have played over the last two seasons has made it quite an easy decision for me to stay and continue to progress as a player,” said Branthwaite. “With the new stadium we have here, the new owner and the new manager [David Moyes]it is an exciting project and I want to be part of it.”
For the time being, this seems to be a sensible approach for all parties. Although only three teams have had a superior defensive record to Everton in each of the last two seasons, Branthwaite is not yet the finished article and can only benefit from the guidance of Moyes, a manager who values defensive organization and discipline.
Branthwaite is currently sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury at the end of last season, which he underwent surgery on last month, and is the jewel in the club’s crown. In his absence, Everton have already conceded a dozen goals this season, a measure of how keenly his absence has been felt.
It’s not hard to see what the defender would bring to Ruben Amorim’s backline. Branthwaite’s two-footedness would allow him to slot in anywhere in Manchester United’s back three, while his dominance in duels would provide extra steel. He is comfortable on the ball and could also play a key role in deep play, an area where United have struggled under Amorim.
For similar reasons, Branthwaite would be a similarly welcome addition to Tottenham, especially given the checkered injury record of central defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
But while the rumors that United and Spurs are interested in Branthwaite are therefore entirely credible, Everton’s determination to keep him seems as clear as the defender’s desire to stay at the club. It would take a significant bid to change the picture.
Liverpool are keeping tabs on Fulham winger Kevin
Rumor Rating: 5
Liverpool chief scout Barry Hunter was reportedly at Craven Cottage on Saturday to watch Brazilian winger Kevin make his first Premier League start.
Still, it would be a big surprise if concrete interest emerged from the Premier League champions, especially in the short term.
Kevin, 22, has shown glimpses of his undoubted ability in the seven appearances he has made so far under Fulham manager Marco Silva, who has wisely given the forward time to acclimatise to his changed circumstances.
It’s been just two months since Kevin’s £34.6million move from Shakhtar Donetsk, a club-record deal that ties the player to the London club until 2030. Fulham, who have been crying out for more creativity – half of their 12 league goals so far have come in home games against Brentford and Wolves – also have an option to extend the player’s stay for another year.
So for Liverpool this would be one for the future. In the wake of a big-spending summer, Arne Slot has struggled to capitalize on his attacking potential this season. Rio Ngumoha, Jeremy Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz are among those who have provided alternatives to Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah in wide positions, and the last thing Slot needs, after a difficult period for his side, is another selection headache.
It must also be recognized that Liverpool have a more pressing need for defensive cover than further attacking reinforcements, which underlines the need to approach this rumor with a healthy dose of skepticism.
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