Harry Kane has suggested he is in no hurry to return to English football, admitting that his desire to reclaim a place in the Premier League and chase Alan Shearer's all-time goalscoring record has faded since his move to Bayern Munich.
The England captain left Tottenham Hotspur for the German giants in 2023 in a deal worth £86.4m, departing north London with 213 Premier League goals to his name — 47 short of Shearer's record of 260. At the time, many assumed Kane might one day return to English football to complete the pursuit of that milestone. But speaking this week, the 31-year-old indicated his priorities have shifted since settling in Bavaria.
"When I first left, for sure it was something I thought - I would definitely be coming back," Kane said. "That itch isn't there as much anymore."
Kane's comments came shortly after he collected the European Golden Shoe, awarded for finishing as the continent's leading league scorer after a prolific Bundesliga campaign. It capped a remarkable debut two years in Germany, during which the striker has continued to score at a rate that matches, and in some metrics surpasses, his best form in England. Last season alone, Kane amassed 73 goals across all competitions for club and country, underlining just how seamlessly he has adapted to life outside the Premier League.
The forward is now entering the final 12 months of the four-year contract he signed upon arriving at Bayern, and talks over a new deal are expected to begin soon. Kane made clear that extending his stay in Munich is very much on his mind, pointing to both footballing and personal reasons for wanting to remain.
"I am extremely happy here in Munich, it opened my eyes to a totally different world of football outside of England and it has made me appreciate European football even more," he explained. "I just think the team we have here and the manager, my family is really settled here, it is just about being in the best place possible."
Kane's family has reportedly integrated well into life in Germany, a factor he has repeatedly cited as central to his happiness and success at Bayern. Combined with the club's ambition and the quality of the squad and coaching staff around him, the striker suggested there is little pulling him back toward a Premier League return in the near future.
Still, Kane stopped short of ruling out an eventual move back to England altogether, leaving open the possibility that circumstances could change in years to come.
"Never say never, but for now I am concentrating on Bayern Munich and we will see what the future holds," he said.
For now, though, the focus remains firmly on continuing his goalscoring exploits in Germany rather than plotting a path back to Shearer's record. Kane's decision to leave Spurs was seen by many as a gamble late in his career, given his trophyless spell in England, but his form and comments suggest he has found both success and contentment at Bayern that could keep him in Bavaria well beyond the current campaign.
Whether Kane eventually returns to chase down Shearer's Premier League scoring record remains uncertain, but for the moment, his words indicate that ambition has taken a back seat to the stability and satisfaction he has found in German football.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.