Thomas Frank opens door for Harry Kane return as Bayern exit clause emerges

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank said Harry Kane would be welcome back at Spurs if the England captain decides to leave Bayern Munich next year, as a potential fairy-tale return hangs in the balance while contract details come to light.

Kane is believed to have a clause in his Bayern contract that would allow him to exit for £56.7 million at the end of this season, according to reports in Germany. The England captain will be 33 in July and is in the final year of a four-year deal in Munich. Spurs previously held a first refusal option when they sold him, and with former chairman Daniel Levy moved on from the top job, that obstacle could influence any future approach from North London.

There’s a lot of Tottenham fans including myself who would like to see Kane back, Frank said ahead of a Carabao Cup tie against League One Doncaster. He’s a top player. Personally, I don’t know what he’s thinking. He’ll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well. He was top-scorer last year and won the championship, he’s doing fantastic now. Top player. I don’t know what he’s thinking. I’m a traveler, I like to travel, I like to explore things as well. He’s been here for many years so why not enjoy the time at Bayern a little bit more. But he’s welcome. If he wants to join us, he’s more than welcome.

Kane has scored 98 goals in 103 games for Bayern since his 2023 move, leaving him just shy of the 100-goal milestone for the German champions. In total, he left Tottenham with 280 goals across all competitions, including 213 Premier League goals. Only Alan Shearer (260) has more league goals for one club among players with comparable longevity. Kane published a social media message after his Spurs departure, suggesting the future could hold any number of possibilities depending on opportunities that arise abroad.

The silence around Kane’s future sits alongside broader questions about Tottenham’s leadership. Kane’s departure from Spurs in 2023 followed years of negotiations and near-moves, including a high-profile bid from Manchester City in 2021 that Kane believed showed a verbal agreement had been reached before the deal stalled. Kane’s path has been shaped by his relationship with Spurs’ previous ownership and management structure, and the current climate at the club has kept fans looking for signals about a possible reunion with the north London club.

Meanwhile, Tottenham’s former managing director Fabio Paratici has received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in Italy as part of the Plusvalenza football scandal. Paratici, 53, is one of seven former Juventus directors who struck plea-bargain deals with prosecutors. They were accused of inflating transfer fees for financial gain, but plea bargains carry no admission of guilt under Italian law. He had been employed as a recruitment consultant by Spurs after resigning from his official role following a FIFA ban that lasted 30 months and expired in July. Paratici remains a visible figure in Tottenham’s boxes, while his ban and the ongoing outcomes of the case continue to cast a shadow over his involvement with the club.

Levy’s exit from the club’s leadership and Paratici’s legal developments add uncertainty to Tottenham’s transfer strategy and Kane’s potential return. Frank was asked about Paratici’s role on Tuesday and said, softly, that the Italian executive is a consultant who continues to work with the transfer group. I speak to him. I’ve spoken to him mainly in the transfer window while he’s part of the group that works and deals with the transfers. I’ve got a good relationship with him.

The Kane situation remains unresolved, with Bayern’s stance on selling him unlikely to shift in the immediate term and Tottenham’s new leadership perhaps more willing to entertain discussions about a return should the right circumstances emerge. As Kane approaches the end of his current deal in Munich, the door remains ajar in North London, but any move would hinge on both parties’ assessments of timing, form, and the evolving dynamics at Spurs and in European football.