Fabrizio Romano has revealed Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stance on a potential Man Utd transfer pursuit for Harry Kane in January 2026.
Before his departure to Bayern Munich, Tottenham legend Kane was linked with a move to Man Utd for years with rumours of huge potential bids for the England international.
However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy refused to sell Kane to another club in the Premier League and Kane ended up in Germany, where he has continued his brilliant goalscoring rate.
Kane has bagged 72 goals in 73 appearances for the Bavarians and is now on course to winning the first piece of silverware in his career with Bayern Munich currently eight points ahead of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table.
And there have been rumours in recent days that Kane could return to the Premier League as soon as next January with the former Tottenham striker having a €65m release clause in his contract that will become active in January 2026.
But Romano has also explained why it’s unlikely that Man Utd will be the club to trigger that clause with Ratcliffe ‘going in a different direction’ with recruitment.
Romano wrote on GiveMeSport: ‘Harry Kane also had a ‘secret’ release clause in his contract – last month. Yes, as a deal for €80m was available in January and not valid in the summer, but there was not even one single contact with Premier League clubs as Kane is not even planning for a move as of now. He’s very happy in Munich, his family is happy in Germany and Bayern are absolutely planning with Kane also for next season.
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‘However, there’s one more clause for next year, which is only available in January 2026 and worth €65m. It won’t be possible to proceed with the clause in summer 2026, but that clause could set the price in case some club decides to enter the race after the USA World Cup. It’s one to watch, for sure.
‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to be a big fan of Harry Kane, but the Manchester United project is going in a different direction, trusting young players, reducing salaries and following different principles, so there’s nothing really concrete in this rumour despite recent reports.
‘Don’t forget about Tottenham, as they have matching rights for Harry Kane. At any moment, if Bayern receive a bid, Spurs will be informed and can match the proposal to bring Kane back – if they want to.
‘Also, Harry Kane’s approval would be needed as it’s going to be the English striker who decides his future. Keep this in mind for 2026, as movements are considered unlikely for this summer.’
In the same column, Romano also revealed that Man Utd enquired about Wolves striker Matheus Cunha and Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz in December.
Romano added: ‘Manchester United called in December to discuss the situation of both Douglas Luiz and Matheus Cunha, but never made any formal approach in January as it was too expensive a deal and not easy at all to proceed for both cases. Will they return in the summer? We will see, but it’s not a concrete negotiation or discussion as of now.’
