Harry Kane was a man in demand in the summer of 2023 when he finally left Tottenham, with Manchester United among those desperate to prise him away from north London
Ultimately, it was the prospect of trophies that lured Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
During his time at Tottenham, Kane had established himself as one of Europe's elite forwards, attracting attention from all the top clubs. In 2021, Kane pulled out all the stops in an attempt to secure a move to Manchester City, even going so far as to publicly express his wish to depart Spurs during a golf game with Gary Neville.
However, it would be another two years before Bayern shelled out £100m to whisk him away from north London. Despite Bayern clinching the deal, Manchester United had been quietly plotting a move for the England captain over the years.
When Erik ten Hag first took the helm at United, the Mirror stated the Dutchman had earmarked Kane as one of his initial transfer targets. But the timing wasn't right for Kane, who had set his focus on becoming Spurs' all-time leading scorer.
Furthermore, if the England captain were to leave, it would have to be for a club ready to compete for major honours immediately, not one in the midst of a rebuild or transition. After surpassing Sir Jimmy Greaves' Spurs record the following February, United believed they had the perfect window to sign Kane.
Spurs ended the season outside the top four in a campaign that saw Antonio Conte given the boot, while United had just lifted the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final and secured third place. Kane had also boldly declared his ambition to smash Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals, hinting he's not keen on a move away from English football.
With City revelling in Erling Haaland's prowess and Liverpool snapping up Cody Gakpo, a switch to United seemed the only viable option within the Premier League. The situation looked more favourable than a year earlier when Kane was hesitant about joining United due to their woes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
The Red Devils had slumped to sixth place, marking their lowest points haul in 32 years and were also trophyless for the fifth season running. Kane's itch to leave Spurs was fuelled by his hunger for silverware, but at that specific point, Tottenham appeared closer to clinching a title than United did.
The England striker had resolved to only exit Spurs for a club that was a serious contender for major honours immediately, rather than one undergoing a rebuild. Despite a stellar final season at Tottenham, their eighth-place finish signalled that Kane's days in N17 were numbered.
Rumours swirled that Kane's agents had a "secret meeting" with Paris Saint-Germain chiefs, who were eyeing a deal. PSG's transfer guru Luis Campos was reportedly engaged in an "informal conversation" about Kane's prospects, as per Foot Mercato.
During that period, PSG were shifting their transfer strategy and aimed to offload Lionel Messi and Neymar to cultivate a younger and revamped squad. A transfer did not culminate, most likely because PSG were in a rebuild - and Bayern capitalised.
Amidst the swirling gossip of a potential switch to German soil at the time, former Liverpool ace Danny Murphy encouraged Kane to seize the chance with Bayern. Penning his thoughts for the Daily Mail, Murphy said: "If Bayern Munich come calling this summer, he should go. It would be hugely sad if a player of his quality finished [his career] without winning a trophy. It's something he himself would regret after retirement."
He added: "Going abroad might cost him Alan Shearer's Premier League goals record but, in the grand scheme of things, that shouldn't put him off. In five years, we could be talking about Harry Kane, Champions League winner with multiple Bundesliga titles and cup medals.
"I'm sure Kane will get other offers. Manchester United have been mentioned, but he hasn't got time to be part of a team that is building. If he was going to leave, it would be primarily to win trophies from the get-go, which would make Bayern his best option."
Kane disregarded any further interest from United to seal his £100m transfer to Bayern. The German giants then failed to win a trophy for the first time in 10 years, despite Kane hammering in a record haul of 36 goals and eight assists in his debut Bundesliga campaign.
However, Kane triumphed in the Bundesliga under Vincent Kompany's leadership, bagging 38 goals and providing 13 assists in 47 games on his way to his first major trophy this year.