FC Bayern has signed center forward Harry Kane after what must have been the toughest transfer negotiations in Bundesliga history. Now the Munich supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß has revealed that the deal threatened to burst again shortly before the conclusion. He also gave interesting insights into the guaranteed transfer fee.
One thing is clear: FC Bayern dug deep into their pockets for Harry Kane. The new Bundesliga record transfer is said to have cost 100 million euros as a fixed sum, with an additional 20 million euros in bonus payments to Tottenham Hotspur.
But Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß, one of the key players behind the mega deal, has now given interesting insights into the actual financial conditions. “The real amount of cash that we are now guaranteed to have to pay is less than 100 million,” the 71-year-old clarified in an interview with “Welt”.
Nevertheless, FC Bayern would have to pay additional amounts “if, for example, we become German champions or win the Champions League”. Hoeneß had said in the spring that it was “completely gaga” to pay 100 million euros for a player. “In this respect, what I said back then is not so untrue,” he added.
For Harry Kane, FC Bayern would have been willing to pay even more money: “But we would have gone through with the transfer if the sum had been 100 million euros.” You have to be “always ready in life to re-evaluate things,” he explained his change.
Kane deal actually threatened to fail
Meanwhile, Uli Hoeneß revealed that the transfer of millions was actually on the brink again shortly before it was completed.
“That night it was again about a larger amount. Jan (CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, editor’s note) then said: ‘Not a penny anymore!’ It took six hours for Levy (Tottenham manager Daniel Levy) to accept that we were stubborn about it and for the plane that had been waiting for Harry in Stansted that morning to finally take off said: ‘If we don’t have a solution by the evening, I’ll play for Tottenham on Sunday. And then it’s over, then I won’t sign a new contract with Tottenham and will go on a free transfer next year.'”
Hoeneß also criticized Tottenham manager Levy in this respect, who said goodbye to vacation in Miami in the middle of the negotiations, thereby further complicating the talks.
“I didn’t think it was good that Levy flew to Miami on holiday when his club’s most important player, the England captain, wanted to leave the club. That made the talks even more complicated. Jan had to end the negotiations because of the time difference often in the middle of the night – I admire his patience,” said Hoeneß clearly.