Manchester City were 'very close' to signing Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur in 2021, according to former Etihad Stadium captain Kyle Walker.
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After Jose Mourinho's dismissal in April 2021 and Tottenham Hotspur's appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo as head coach in June that same year, Harry Kane reportedly wanted to leave his boyhood club.
The now 33 year-old was said to have had a gentleman's agreement with then-Spurs chairman Daniel Levy a year earlier, allowing him to part ways with the north London side the following season.
The reported agreement, however, was not honoured as Premier League rivals Manchester City emerged as the top suitors for the England international striker's services, with the Sky Blues in the hunt for a direct Sergio Aguero replacement.
Kane notably returned late for pre-season training during the summer, and was not present for the first two games of the season in an alleged attempt to push through a move away to the Etihad Stadium.
Reports during that period suggested City had made a formal opening bid of £100 million for the striker, followed by an improved offer of £127 million, with Pep Guardiola confirming his side’s interest, but Tottenham were clearly not open to selling.
By August 2023, Kane had joined Bayern Munich on a four-year deal, ending his nearly two-decade-long association with Tottenham, and one year on from Manchester City signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
Now, Kyle Walker - who had previously shared the pitch alongside Harry Kane at Tottenham - has revealed how close his former teammate actually came to a reunion between the pair at Manchester City back in 2021.
Harry Kane: 'I want to come to Manchester City'
Kyle Walker, who arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017 for a reported transfer fee of £50 million, parted ways with Manchester City on a free transfer and joined Burnley last summer.
The right-back recently spoke about the striker’s Manchester City transfer saga that never materialised, mentioning that the now-Bundesliga star and Ballon d'Or contender wanted to join Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Walker told talkSPORT, "I think he was just at a point in his career where he wanted to go and win trophies. 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."
The former Manchester City captain continued, "He (Harry Kane) said, 'I want to come,' and was asking me a little bit about it. But I'm guessing the clubs couldn't reach an agreement."
Harry Kane ultimately departed Tottenham Hotspur as the North London club's all-time record goalscorer, with 280 goals in 435 appearances across all competitions.
Kane a great example to every young kid, says Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker also opened up about his first impression of Harry Kane on the pitch in the striker’s early years at Spurs, admitting that he initially did not expect his now-former international teammate to go on to have such an illustrious career.
“He was a little bit overweight. He could finish, but he wasn't very mobile," said the Sheffield United academy graduate.
The defender went on to hail Harry Kane’s dedication and hard work, mentioning that the Spurs legend left no stone unturned to become a better player, and added, "There's not one training session or one stone left unturned that he doesn't try and make himself a better player."
"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," concluded Walker.
Since his move to the German Bundesliga, Harry Kane has registered a staggering 156 goals and 40 assists in 158 matches throughout an ongoing four seasons at Bayern Munich - now working under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany at the Allianz Arena.