It’s one of the biggest what-ifs in Premier League history.
In the summer of 2021, Manchester City were seriously interested in Harry Kane, who was at Tottenham.
There were also whispers Kane struck a gentleman’s agreement with then-Spurs chairman Daniel Levy a year earlier that he’d have one more season in north London before being allowed to move elsewhere.
Ultimately a transfer never came to fruition, but just how close was Kane to calling the Etihad Stadium home?
Kyle Walker lifts lid on Harry Kane’s failed move to Manchester City
According to Kyle Walker, who was on City’s books at the time but played with Kane at Spurs, the superstar striker was ‘very close’ to moving.
“I think he was just at a point in his career where he wanted to go and win trophies,” Walker said on talkSPORT Drive.
“That was the one cloud over his head. He’s a great player and has got all these personal accolades for himself, but he’d never won anything for a club.”
Walker added that at no stage did Kane tell him he was bound for City, but was keen on the switch.
“He said, ‘I want to come,’ and was asking me a little bit about it,” Walker continued.
“But I’m guessing the clubs couldn’t reach an agreement.”
After the 2021 summer window shut, former City boss Pep Guardiola revealed City made four bids to sign Kane, only for Spurs to turn all of them down.
Harry Kane gets his move to Bayern
Kane would eventually get his move to a European giant, although not until August 2023 when he joined Bayern Munich for an initial £86.4million.
The 33-year-old has gone on to establish himself as arguably Europe’s most elite striker having twice won the European Golden Shoe, an award given to the leading goalscorer from the top division of a European league.
Kane’s brilliance also has him as a serious contender to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, which would make him the first English player to take football’s most coveted individual prize since Michael Owen in 2001.
The qualities that made Harry Kane into superstar
Walker admitted he did not predict Kane would go on to enjoy such a stratospheric rise in his career when the latter was breaking into the first team at Spurs.
“He was a little bit overweight,” Walker said.
“He could finish, but he wasn’t very mobile.”
However, it was Kane’s desire to extract every little droplet of talent he possessed that made him into the lethal striker he is today.
“There’s not one training session or one stone left unturned that he doesn’t try and make himself a better player,” Walker added.
“I think he’s a great example to every young kid coming up.
“You might not be the best at the start, but if you’ve got a goal and an objective you want to get, you can get there.”
