Waddle rules out Kane Spurs return despite Bayern contract's Tottenham clause

Chris Waddle has dismissed the prospect of Harry Kane ever returning to Tottenham Hotspur, despite reports that the striker’s newly signed Bayern Munich contract contains a clause giving Spurs the right to match any bid for his services before 2029.

Kane, 31, put pen to paper on the deal last week, extending his stay in Germany until the summer of his 36th birthday. The agreement mirrors a reported feature of his previous contract, which granted Tottenham a matching right should he depart Bayern early — a detail that briefly reignited hope among Spurs supporters.

But Waddle, who himself left Tottenham for Marseille in 1989, is unconvinced a homecoming will materialise. “People ask me ‘Do you think Harry Kane will go back when he’s 36?’, but why should he go back?” the former winger said. “He might have a soft spot to go back, but do Tottenham want somebody back at 36 or 37? I don’t think so, even if it is Harry Kane. I think Tottenham are looking to move on and are looking at much younger profiles.”

Waddle also pointed to the nature of the Bundesliga as a reason Kane could continue performing at the highest level well into his mid-thirties. “The Bundesliga is slower than the Premier League, so at 36, he could still be wearing the Bayern Munich No.9 shirt,” he added.

Drawing on his own experience of leaving North London for a foreign league, Waddle argued the move has transformed Kane as a footballer. “He made the right decision, and he probably never thought it would go as well as it has,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave Tottenham, but when I look back, it was probably the best move I made. Harry Kane, for all his time with Tottenham — and he loves Tottenham, rightly so — would say that Bayern Munich made him a far better player.”

The contract news came days before Kane added another landmark to a record-breaking international career, winning his 126th England cap against Croatia to surpass Peter Shilton’s long-standing appearance record. The milestone followed his recent Ballon d’Or recognition, capping a remarkable period for the striker since his £100m move to Bavaria in the summer of 2023.