Bayer Leverkusen continued their march towards the Bundesliga title as they edged to victory at Freiburg to restore their 10-point lead at the top.

Xabi Alonso’s side remain unbeaten in the league this season and ran out 3-2 winners on Sunday afternoon.

Leverkusen remain on course to end Bayern Munich’s run of 11 successive titles after efforts from Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick saw them build a two-goal lead after Ritsu Doan had pulled the hosts level following Florian Wirtz’s early opener.

Yannik Keitel pulled another back for Freiburg but Leverkusen saw out the closing stages to win their 22nd league game of the campaign.

Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 after their former player Mario Gotze had given the visitors the lead.

Karim Adeyemi equalised before half-time and Mats Hummels gave Dortmund the lead late on, with a stoppage-time Emre Can penalty securing the points.

Runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by reigning champions Napoli.

Inter have lost just once in the league this season and appeared on course for another win as Matteo Darmian struck just before half-time.

Napoli’s title defence has been non-existent but they rallied for a point at San Siro as Juan Jesus levelled with nine minutes left on the clock.

The draw means Inter’s lead at the summit sits at 14 points, with nearest rivals AC Milan cutting the deficit following a 3-1 victory at Verona.

Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze were on target for the visitors, who never looked troubled despite Tijjani Noslin temporarily halving the lead.

Third-placed Juventus had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Genoa as Dusan Vlahovic was sent off late on as he was booked twice for remonstrating with the referee.

Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the only goal of the game as Roma beat Sassuolo 1-0 while Fiorentina’s trip to Atalanta was postponed after Joe Barone, a Fiorentina director, was rushed to hospital.

Barcelona eased to a 3-0 win at Atletico Madrid to move within eight points of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga.

On a comfortable night for Xavi’s side, they saw off their fellow Champions League quarter-finalists as Joao Felix gave the visitors a half-time lead.

Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez goals completed a fine night for the Catalan giants, while Atleti had Nahuel Molina sent off in stoppage time.

At the other end of the table, rock bottom Almeria celebrated their first league win of the season as Leo Baptistao scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Las Palmas.

Celta Vigo, meanwhile, pulled five points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 comeback win at surprise strugglers Sevilla.

Youssef En-Nesyri had put the home side in front but two goals in six minutes from Carles Perez and Jorgen Larsen secured the points for Celta.

Jorge Cuenca struck as Villarreal beat Valencia 1-0 while Real Betis lost 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano courtesy of goals from Florian Lejeune and Sergio Camello.

Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain thrashed Montpellier 6-2 at the Stade de la Mosson.

Vitinha opened the scoring for the visitors before Mbappe bagged his first of the evening, only for the home side to draw level before the break through Arnaud Nordin and a Teji Savanier penalty.

PSG would make sure of the points in emphatic style as Mbappe added two more either side of a Lee Kang-in effort, with a late Nuno Mendes goal completing the rout.

The three nearest challengers to PSG all dropped points as Martin Satriano’s goal for second-placed Brest earned them a 1-1 draw at home to Lille, who sit fourth.

A thrilling game at Stade Louis II saw third-placed Monaco concede a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Lorient – with both sides finishing with 10 men.

A first-minute Wilfried Singo own goal put Lorient in front before Formose Mendy put through his own goal to level and Youssef Fofana’s effort just before the hour put the home side ahead.

Denis Zakaria then saw red for Monaco with Lorient reduced to 10 in the 89th minute as Tosin Aiyegun was dismissed, only for Tiemoue Bakayoko to secured a point for Lorient in stoppage time.

Rennes beat Marseille 2-0 as Martin Terrier and Benjamin Bourigeaud scored for the hosts, while Reims were 2-1 winners over Metz and Clermont beat Le Havre by the same scoreline.

Bayer Leverkusen regained their 10-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga by beating 10-man Wolfsburg 2-0 at BayArena.

Nathan Tella headed Xabi Alonso’s side into a first-half lead, nine minutes after Wolfsburg defender Moritz Jenz had been sent off for his second yellow card, and Florian Wirtz ensured maximum points with a late second.

Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga this season to 25 matches and notched their sixth straight league win to stay well in front of Bayern Munich, who thrashed Mainz 8-1 on Saturday.

Eintracht Frankfurt consolidated in sixth place after hitting back to win 3-1 at home against nine-man Hoffenheim.

United States defender John Brooks headed Hoffenheim into an early lead, but was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Omar Marmoush before Frankfurt equalised through on-loan Leeds centre-back Robin Koch.

Second-half goals from Dina Ebimbe and Mario Gotze put Frankfurt in control and Hoffenheim were then reduced to nine men when Ozan Kabak received his second yellow card.

Freiburg followed up their midweek Europa League win against West Ham with their first Bundesliga victory in seven matches, triumphing 2-1 at Bochum.

Real Madrid opened up a seven-point gap at the top of LaLiga after beating Celta Vigo 4-0 at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Vinicius Junior’s close-range finish gave Real a half-time lead and own goals from goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and Carlos Dominguez put Carlo Ancelotti’s side, without the suspended Jude Bellingham, in full control.

Turkey midfielder Arda Guler stepped off the bench to score his first goal for the club in stoppage time as Los Blancos extended their unbeaten league run to 22 matches.

Athletic Bilbao closed the gap on fourth-placed Atletico Madrid to two points after Gorka Guruzeta and Saul Coco’s own goal secured them a 2-0 win at Las Palmas.

Real Betis lost 3-2 at home to Villarreal with both sides ending the game with 10 men after Chimy Avila and Alberto Moreno were shown their second yellow cards after clashing in the second half.

Alexander Sorloth fired the winner for Villarreal three minutes before Avila and Moreno were sent off in the 70th minute.

Guido Rodriguez and Willian Jose twice put Betis ahead, with Alex Baena and a Sokratis Papastathopoulos
own goal levelling in each half.

Andoni Gorosabel’s first goal for Alaves clinched them a 1-0 home win against Rayo Vallecano and lifted them 10 points clear of the drop zone.

AC Milan leapfrogged Juventus into second place in Serie A as Christian Pulisic’s solitary first-half goal sealed a  1-0 home win against Empoli.

Milan moved one point above Juve, who were held 2-2 at home by Atalanta.

Goals after the break from Juve pair Andrea Cambiaso and Arkadiusz Milik cancelled out Teun Koopmeiners’ opener for Atalanta, but the Netherlands midfielder struck again to earn the visitors a point.

Diego Llorente fired in a stoppage-time equaliser for Roma in a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina to lift Daniele De Rossi’s side up to fifth in the table.

Michael Folorunsho’s deflected shot sealed Verona a 1-0 win at Lecce and lifted his side out of the bottom three up to 13th in a congested bottom half of the table.

Verona striker Thomas Henry was shown a straight red card in stoppage time for violent conduct after clashing with Lecce defender Marin Pongracic.

In Ligue 1, Paris St Germain were held to a third successive domestic draw, 2-2 at home against Reims, as Kylian Mbappe started on the bench.

Mbappe, who is rumoured to have agreed to a deal to join Real Madrid in the summer and was withdrawn at half-time in last week’s 0-0 draw at Monaco, was a 73rd-minute substitute, but had few chances.

Marshall Munetsi gave Reims a shock early lead and, after Yunis Abdelhamid’s own goal and Goncalo Ramos had put PSG ahead, Oumar Diakite levelled for the visitors before the interval.

Monaco sit third, 11 points behind PSG, after Eliesse Ben Seghir’s second-half goal secured them a 1-0 win at Strasbourg.

Canada forward Jonathan David scored two late goals to earn Lille a 2-2 draw at Rennes and lift his side into the top four.

Lille trailed 2-0 at the interval through goals from Ludovic Blas and Arnaud Kalimuendo, but David struck in the 84th minute and then in stoppage time to salvage them a point.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit goals in either half as Marseille won 2-0 at home against Nantes.

Le Havre edged two points clear of the drop zone with a 1-0 home win against Toulouse and Metz boosted their survival hopes by beating fellow strugglers Clermont by the same score.

Bayern Munich have announced that head coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season.

Tuchel’s position has come under scrutiny following a woeful run of results that has left the Bundesliga champions facing the prospect of a first season without winning a trophy since 2011-12.

Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told the club website: “In an open, good conversation we came to the decision to mutually end our collaboration in the summer. Our goal is to carry out a sporting realignment with a new coach for the 2024/25 season.

Former Chelsea boss Tuchel, who took over in March 2023, said: “We have agreed that we will end our collaboration after this season. Until then, I and my coaching team will of course continue to do everything we can to ensure maximum success.”

Bayern Munich slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Bochum to remain eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, increasing the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel.

The German giants – beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night – had taken the lead in the 15th minute through Jamal Musiala.

After Harry Kane blasted over when clear, the match was halted in the 22nd minute as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in another protest by supporters against a controversial plan to sell a stake in Bundesliga media rights.

Once the game resumed, Bochum equalised in the 38th minute through Japan forward Takuma Asano before Keven Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner just before the break.

The players were taken off again early in the second half following another fan protest, before Bayern were reduced to 10 men when defender Dayot Upamecano – having also been sent off in midweek – was shown a red card for raising his arm into the face of Schlotterbeck in the area. Kevin Stoger made no mistake from the resulting penalty to make it 3-1.

Kane reduced the deficit in the 87th minute when he tapped in his 25th Bundesliga goal but the England captain was unable to convert a stoppage-time header from close range as Bayern slumped to a third successive defeat.

Earlier on Sunday, Michael Gregoritsch’s late equaliser saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Play was halted midway through the second half because of more protests from fans – which saw remote-controlled planes flown around the stadium while sweets were thrown onto the pitch behind one of the goals.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly city neighbours Rayo Vallecano.

Los Blancos, without Jude Bellingham through injury, had taken an early lead through Joselu and looked set to go eight points clear of Girona, who play at Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.

However, a 27th-minute penalty from Raul de Tomas proved enough for Rayo to earn a derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez, with Real having Dani Carvajal sent off late on.

Real Betis dropped out of the top six after being held to a goalless draw at home by Alaves.

Real Sociedad secured a first victory in six matches after coming from behind to win 2-1 at 10-man Mallorca thanks to a stoppage-time header from Mikel Merino, the hosts having seen captain Antonio Raillo sent off just before the break.

At the other end of the table, the bottom two sides Granada and Almeria cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw.

AC Milan missed the chance to go second in Serie A as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Monza, finishing with 10 men after Luka Jovic was sent off.

After Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio had to be substituted following a clash of heads with team-mate Andrea Carboni, the hosts took the lead through Matteo Pessina’s penalty and Dany Mota added a second just before half-time.

Jovic was sent off six minutes into the second half, his yellow card upgraded to a red on VAR review, for lashing out at Armando Izzo.

Substitutes Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic then hauled the Rossoneri level – only for Warren Bondo to swiftly put Monza ahead again before on-loan forward Lorenzo Colombo added a fourth against his parent club.

Bologna had earlier kept up their challenge for the Champions League places after Joshua Zirkzee’s late goal gave them a 2-1 win at Lazio.

Roma won 3-0 at Frosinone to maintain their ambitions of a top-six finish.

Relegation-battlers Cagliari drew 1-1 at Udinese and it also finished 1-1 between Empoli and Fiorentina.

In Ligue 1, Brest beat Marseille 1-0 with an 89th-minute goal from Pierre Lees-Melou after forward Steve Mounie had been sent off to move above Nice into second place.

Mohamed Bamba scored a first-half double as Lorient won 3-1 at Strasbourg to move out of the drop zone.

Monaco saw their top-four ambitions dented with a 2-1 home defeat by Toulouse, while a brace from Martin Terrier saw in-form Rennes beat 10-man Clermont 3-1.

Africa Cup of Nations winner Oumar Diakite marked his return to club action with a goal as Reims drew 1-1 with Lens while Montpellier beat Metz 3-0.

Bayern Munich slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Bochum to remain eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Thomas Tuchel’s side – who were beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday night – had taken the lead in the 15th minute through winger Jamal Musiala.

After Harry Kane blasted over when sent clear in the penalty area, the match was halted in the 22nd minute as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in another protest by supporters against a controversial plan to sell a stake in Bundesliga media rights.

Once the game resumed, Bochum equalised in the 38th minute through Japan forward Takuma Asano before Keven Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner just before the break.

The players were taken off again early in the second half following another protest of throwing tennis balls from the stands.

Bayern found themselves down to 10 men for the closing stages after defender Dayot Upamecano was shown a red card for raising his arm into the face of Schlotterbeck in the area. Kevin Stoger made no mistake from the resulting penalty.

Kane reduced the deficit in the 87th minute after being presented with a tap-in by substitute Mathys Tel for his 25th Bundesliga goal.

The England striker sent a header straight at the Bochum goalkeeper during eight minutes of stoppage time as Bayern slumped to a third straight defeat.

Earlier on Sunday, Michael Gregoritsch’s late equaliser saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Play was halted midway through the second half because of protests from fans – which saw remote-controlled planes flown around the stadium while sweets were thrown onto the pitch behind one of the goals.

When the action resumed, Ansgar Knauff’s second goal of the game had Frankfurt back in front at 3-2 with 20 minutes left, only for Gregoritsch to head in a last-minute equaliser.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly city neighbours Rayo Vallecano.

Los Blancos, without Jude Bellingham through injury, had taken an early lead through Joselu and looked all set to go eight points clear of Girona, who play at Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.

However, a 27th-minute penalty from Raul de Tomas proved enough for Rayo to earn a derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez.

At the other end of the table, the bottom two sides Granada and Almeria cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw at Los Carmenes.

Marc Pubill had given visitors Almeria a ninth-minute lead, but Myrto Uzuni equalised with 15 minutes left.

In Ligue 1, Mohamed Bamba scored a first-half brace as relegation-battlers Lorient won 3-1 at Strasbourg to move out of the drop zone.

Monaco saw their top-four ambitions dented with a 2-1 home defeat by Toulouse, with Logan Costa’s late goal securing the points for the visitors, who edged further clear of trouble.

A brace from Martin Terrier saw in-form Rennes beat 10-man Clermont 3-1 and continue their climb up the table.

Africa Cup of Nations winner Oumar Diakite marked his return to club action with a goal as Reims drew 1-1 at home against Lens while Montpellier beat Metz 3-0 at Stade de la Mosson.

What the papers say

Bayern Munich are looking likely to join Liverpool in the hunt for Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso as pressure mounts on coach Thomas Tuchel, the Times reports. Alonso is the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield after he decided he will step down at the end of the season.

The Daily Mail reports that Barcelona have put three Premier League players on their summer transfer wishlist, including Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, Everton’s Amadou Onana and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma.

Brighton could face a battle to keep hold of manager Roberto de Zerbi at the end of the season’s, with the Daily Mail saying Manchester United and Liverpool are considering a move for the Italian.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Victor Osimhen: The Napoli striker is the main target for Paris St Germain after Kylian Mbappe told the club he plans to leave at the end of the year, the Athletic reports.

Bukayo Saka: Football Insider says Arsenal have valued their star 22-year-old winger between £150million and £200million.

Kieran Trippier says Bayern Munich’s interest is a “compliment” but insists he remains fully committed to Newcastle.

The Magpies reportedly rejected a bid from the German champions to pry the England international away from the north east this month.

Trippier reiterated that Bayern’s interest has not put him off from being an integral player for Eddie Howe’s side, insisting he wants to make history.

Speaking after Newcastle’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Fulham, Trippier said: “It’s always a compliment when a team like Bayern come in for you but I want to make history with the club, win a trophy and help the club grow for as long as possible.

“I hope everybody knows my commitment to this club. It has not changed since I first arrived. It’s a transfer window, things happen, it’s not put me off or anything. I’m at Newcastle.

“Things happen in the background. I had loads of conversations with the manager, everything was positive, nothing has changed and I’m committed to Newcastle.”

Newcastle will need to sell players in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.

Trippier credited the professionalism of his team-mates despite several members of the squad drawing interest from potential suitors.

He added: “It’s a transfer window. The players are committed and nothing will change.

“We have a great squad, I’ve spoken about the togetherness in our group. Nothing will take us off track.

“Loads of rumours go round and it didn’t put us off tonight.

“We can only focus on what we do on the pitch and what goes on in the background goes on in the background.”

Trippier endured a difficult December period which included a mistake leading to a goal and a penalty miss during Newcastle’s Carabao Cup exit to Chelsea.

The right-back showed signs of his best on Saturday, delivering dangerous crosses into the box in the lead up to goals from Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn.

Trippier said: “I’m happy to stand here and say I’ve gone through some bad moments, it’s not like we do it on purpose, it happens.

“I’ve been in this situation in my career before but I just hope this is the turning point and I know I can do better.

“I recognise when I’m in a bad moment but it’s a new year and a new chapter.”

England captain Harry Kane has agreed a deal to make his memorabilia available to purchase exclusively through American company Fanatics.

The platform will become the sole distributor of the Bayern Munich striker’s autographs, match-worn shirts and boots and other collectable items.

Kane, who is both England and Tottenham’s record goalscorer, is the first British athlete to partner with Fanatics, who have signed deals with a host of big-name American athletes including former NFL star Tom Brady and MLB’s Aaron Judge.

The 30-year-old, who was drawn to the company by its links to the NFL, which he has said he one day hopes to play in, said: “I’m thrilled to announce my new exclusive memorabilia partnership with Fanatics, who is the renowned, innovative leader in this space.

“This partnership will allow me to share some of my most incredible career memories and experiences with sports fans across the globe.

“It’s an honour to join their world-class roster of athletes across all sports – including the NFL, which I am incredibly passionate about.

“I am extremely proud to be aligned with a company that is raising the game for sports fans all over the world, and I can’t wait to show what we have in store for fans over the years to come.”

The partnership comes after Kane scored his 59th goal for England in Tuesday’s friendly win over Scotland at Hampden Park. He recently told the PA news agency that he is targeting a century of goals for his country.

The striker is in the early days of his time at Bayern following his £100million move from Spurs in the summer. He left his boyhood club as their record goalscorer, with 280 competitive goals, 16 more than Jimmy Greaves.

What the papers say

The now-closed transfer window may have left Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha with the crumbled wreck of a failed deal with Bayern Munich, but, according to the Daily Mail, there is still room for a deal to be done eventually.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco seems likely to ditch Europe after a juicy offer from Saudi Arabia. As per the Daily Star, Saudi pro League club Al Shabab is to offer the 30-year-old £12.8million to sign on before the Saudi trade window closes.

Across the pond , Wayne Rooney looks like he could soon be parting ways with DC United after the US club left him on read when he tried to kick off negotiations for a new contract, the Daily Mail reports.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Sergio Ramos: ESPN reports the 37-year-old defender is closing in on a deal to return to Sevilla. He has been a free agent since July, when his Paris St Germain contract expired.

Harry Kane did not know if his transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich was going to go through after a “roller coaster” two days.

Kane has endured a whirlwind 72 hours since Spurs agreed a fee with the German club on Thursday, which culminated in the England captain being unveiled before the press on Sunday lunchtime.

He had already made his debut by then, coming on as a substitute in the second half of the DFL-Supercup, but his wait for the first silverware of his career goes on after Bayern lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig.

It was a race against time for Kane to be registered in time to play after his flight to Germany and subsequent medical was delayed after Spurs went back to the negotiating table at the last minute.

The £100million deal eventually got done, though Kane admits he was left sweating for a while.

“It was obviously a busy couple of days, a busy week, this is my first transfer that have been involved in, it was an up-and-down experience for sure, but I am happy to be here now,” he said.

“I wish Tottenham all the best, I wish Daniel Levy all the best, but my focus is here now and trying to help this time and I am just happy we managed to do it and am excited to get started.

“Talks have been ongoing for a couple of months ago and I always said if there was a deal that suited all three parties then we could do it.

“Going into the last year of my contract I didn’t want it to be a distraction for the new manager and team at Tottenham. I was excited to come.

“The last 48 hours of the deal was pretty up and down, a bit of a roller coaster, but I was just really happy when we got over the line.

“Two days ago I was sitting in London and we didn’t know how it was going to go.”

The 30-year-old, who broke Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring record last season, departs a club he joined as an 11-year-old and one where he was desperate to win silverware.

It became apparent over the last few seasons that he would not be able to fulfil his ambitions at Spurs and, with one year left on his contract, knew it was time to move on, even though he did not get the chance to say goodbye.

“It is always going to be a tough decision, I was at Tottenham for 19 years of my life, everyone knows the club is connected with me and my heart,” he said. “I’m professional and always pushed myself to my limits.

“I just felt like the time was right, I needed to be playing at the highest level, in the Champions League, trying to win titles every year.

“When I thought about it and Bayern got in touch it was a decision I wanted to make.

“I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, I sent the group a text that I was leaving and when I get the chance to go back, I’ll go in and say goodbye properly.

“Not just the players, but the staff, the chefs, the kitmen, the physios, people I have spent 15 years of my life with. I didn’t have that time because it was so up and down, but for sure over the next few weeks I’ll get some time.”

Kane leaves the Premier League only 48 goals shy of Alan Shearer’s all-time record, but hinted at returning one day in a bid to surpass the former Newcastle and Blackburn striker.

“People will talk about Shearer but I have got plenty of football left in my career,” he said.

“For now I am just trying to concentrate on trying to achieve things here, trying to push myself and push the team to try and reach new levels for this club. That is what my focus is on now.”

Kane’s move to Germany is complicated that his wife Kate is heavily pregnant with their fourth child.

She will return to London on Monday with the rest of their young family, with Kane saying a decision will be made on where she gives birth.

“My wife Kate was really supportive, she wants the best for me and my career so she said to push, she wants me to be playing and happy and that is why we made the decision,” Kane added.

For Bayern to get Kane represents a big statement of intent as they try to conquer Europe against after a couple of lean seasons in the Champions League.

But their biggest victory might have been in successfully completing cordial negotiations with Spurs chairman Levy, an achievement a host of clubs have failed at.

 

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CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen got on so well with Levy that he intends to buy him dinner.

He said: “Daniel and I got closer in the last couple of weeks, that is for sure.

“It was quite a tough negotiation, Daniel is a very friendly person but he knows what he wants. So two people who knew exactly what they wanted came together and that is why it took a bit longer.

“But in the end both of us do have good feelings and that is why I will pay for dinner with him.”

Back at Spurs, new captain Son Heung-min believes Richarlison can help the club fill the gap left by Kane’s departure.

Son told Sky Sports before their Premier League match at Brentford: “We’ve lost one of the best strikers in the world, but I think we have a good player to replace him.

“Obviously H (Kane) has scored so many goals, so every attacking player should take a big responsibility to score some goals.”

NFL great Tom Brady expects his friend Harry Kane to benefit from “a new injection of energy” after joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham.

The 30-year-old ended his long association with the north Londoners on Saturday when he completed his £100million move to the perennial Bundesliga champions.

Kane said it felt like the right time to leave Tottenham after two decades with the club, just as Brady did when departing the New England Patriots in 2020.

The quarterback won six Super Bowls during his 20 years with the Pats and went on to win his seventh in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Huge NFL fan Kane has become friends with Brady over the years and the retired QB turned Birmingham minority owner believes the striker will thrive with his fresh start.

“I sent him a congratulatory note,” Brady told the PA news agency. “He’s been a friend of mine for a long time.

“He’s supported me over a long period of time, and I’m here to do the same for him.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.

“I know sometimes when you move clubs there’s kind of an injection of energy.

“It’s a different environment, you want to go prove people wrong, you want to prove people right. And that’s a great feeling as an athlete.”

Harry Kane did not know if his transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich was going to go through after a “roller coaster” two days.

Kane has endured a whirlwind 72 hours since Spurs agreed a fee with the German club on Thursday, which culminated in the England captain being unveiled before the press on Sunday lunchtime.

He had already made his debut by then, coming on as a substitute in the second half of the DFL-Supercup, but his wait for the first silverware of his career goes on after Bayern lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig.

It was a race against time for Kane to be registered in time to play after his flight to Germany and subsequent medical was delayed after Spurs went back to the negotiating table at the last minute.

The £100million deal eventually got done, though Kane admits he was left sweating for a while.

“It was obviously a busy couple of days, a busy week, this is my first transfer that have been involved in, it was an up-and-down experience for sure, but I am happy to be here now,” he said.

“I wish Tottenham all the best, I wish Daniel Levy all the best, but my focus is here now and trying to help this time and I am just happy we managed to do it and am excited to get started.

“Talks have been ongoing for a couple of months ago and I always said if there was a deal that suited all three parties then we could do it.

“Going into the last year of my contract I didn’t want it to be a distraction for the new manager and team at Tottenham. I was excited to come.

“The last 48 hours of the deal was pretty up and down, a bit of a roller coaster, but I was just really happy when we got over the line.

“Two days ago I was sitting in London and we didn’t know how it was going to go.”

The 30-year-old, who broke Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring record last season, departs a club he joined as an 11-year-old and one where he was desperate to win silverware.

It became apparent over the last few seasons that he would not be able to fulfil his ambitions at Spurs and, with one year left on his contract, knew it was time to move on, even though he did not get the chance to say goodbye.

“It is always going to be a tough decision, I was at Tottenham for 19 years of my life, everyone knows the club is connected with me and my heart,” he said. “I’m professional and always pushed myself to my limits.

“I just felt like the time was right, I needed to be playing at the highest level, in the Champions League, trying to win titles every year.

“When I thought about it and Bayern got in touch it was a decision I wanted to make.

“I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, I sent the group a text that I was leaving and when I get the chance to go back, I’ll go in and say goodbye properly.

“Not just the players, but the staff, the chefs, the kitmen, the physios, people I have spent 15 years of my life with. I didn’t have that time because it was so up and down, but for sure over the next few weeks I’ll get some time.”

Kane leaves the Premier League only 48 goals shy of Alan Shearer’s all-time record, but hinted at returning one day in a bid to surpass the former Newcastle and Blackburn striker.

“People will talk about Shearer but I have got plenty of football left in my career,” he said.

“For now I am just trying to concentrate on trying to achieve things here, trying to push myself and push the team to try and reach new levels for this club. That is what my focus is on now.”

Kane’s move to Germany is complicated that his wife Kate is heavily pregnant with their fourth child.

She will return to London on Monday with the rest of their young family, with Kane saying a decision will be made on where she gives birth.

“My wife Kate was really supportive, she wants the best for me and my career so she said to push, she wants me to be playing and happy and that is why we made the decision,” Kane added.

For Bayern to get Kane represents a big statement of intent as they try to conquer Europe against after a couple of lean seasons in the Champions League.

But their biggest victory might have been in successfully completing cordial negotiations with Spurs chairman Levy, an achievement a host of clubs have failed at.

 

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CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen got on so well with Levy that he intends to buy him dinner.

He said: “Daniel and I got closer in the last couple of weeks, that is for sure.

“It was quite a tough negotiation, Daniel is a very friendly person but he knows what he wants. So two people who knew exactly what they wanted came together and that is why it took a bit longer.

“But in the end both of us do have good feelings and that is why I will pay for dinner with him.”

Back at Spurs, new captain Son Heung-min believes Richarlison can help the club fill the gap left by Kane’s departure.

Son told Sky Sports before their Premier League match at Brentford: “We’ve lost one of the best strikers in the world, but I think we have a good player to replace him.

“Obviously H (Kane) has scored so many goals, so every attacking player should take a big responsibility to score some goals.”

What the papers say

The race to sign Brentford’s Spanish goalkeeper David Raya has stepped up with Bayern Munich the latest strong pursuers. The Guardian reports the German club are looking to sign the 27-year-old, who is also wanted by Arsenal, after having a loan offer turned down.

England defender Harry Maguire’s future remains in doubt. According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham have ended their interest in taking the 30-year-old from Manchester United due to the price tag and wage demands.

Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon, 26, could be on his way out of the Premier League. The Daily Mail reports the Spanish full-back is a target for Real Sociedad.

Across London, Arsenal are looking to add to their summer signings. According to the Daily Express, Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus, 22, from Ajax is on their list of targets.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Kylian Mbappe: Chelsea are the latest club reportedly interested in taking the France forward, 24, from Paris St-Germain after weekend reports linking him with Liverpool.

Alex Scott: Wolves are being linked with a final offer for the midfielder, 19, after Bristol City turned down bids of £18 million and £20 million.

Borussia Dortmund are one win away from clinching the Bundesliga title after a 3-0 victory at Augsburg.

Bayern Munich’s loss to Leipzig on Saturday opened the door for Dortmund and they seized their opportunity, moving within three points of ending the Bavarian club’s 10-year reign as German champions.

Sebastian Haller – who missed the first half of the season as he battled cancer – scored twice and Julian Brandt once after Felix Uduokhai had been sent off for Augsburg.

Victory over Mainz on the final day of the campaign next Saturday would see Dortmund clinch their first Bundesliga crown for 11 years, but anything less would open the door for Bayern to win an 11th straight title.

Mainz suffered a 4-1 home defeat to struggling Stuttgart on Saturday despite taking the lead, while Lars Stindl scored a 90th-minute equaliser to earn Borussia Monchengladbach a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

In Spain, Real Madrid’s miserable week was compounded by a 1-0 defeat to lowly Valencia.

Four days after their humbling by Manchester City in the Champions League, Real went down to Diego Lopez’s 33rd-minute goal.

The match was soured by more complaints of racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior, with the game briefly halted after the Brazilian appeared to point out offenders in the crowd.

He was then shown a straight red card for lashing out at Hugo Duro in stoppage time.

The result eased Valencia’s LaLiga relegation fears while Real dropped to third place in the table behind city rivals Atletico Madrid, who defeated Osasuna 3-0 with goals from Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez and Angel Correa.

Espanyol gave themselves a lifeline in the battle at the bottom with a 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano while the Seville derby ended in a goalless draw between Sevilla and Real Betis, who had Juan Miranda sent off late on.

In Serie A, Inter Milan were brought back down to earth after reaching the Champions League final, falling to a 3-1 defeat against champions Napoli.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Roberto Gagliardini was sent off before half-time and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa put Napoli ahead midway through the second half.

Romelu Lukaku drew the 10 men level with eight minutes to go but Napoli responded emphatically with goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Gianluca Gaetano.

Inter dropped to fourth in the table behind Lazio, who beat Udinese 1-0 thanks to Ciro Immobile’s penalty.

Torino and Fiorentina drew 1-1 while strugglers Lecce and Spezia had to settle for a point each in a 0-0 draw.

Paris St Germain all but wrapped up another Ligue 1 title thanks to an early double from Kylian Mbappe in a 2-1 victory over Auxerre.

The France star scored in the sixth and eighth minutes, with Lassine Sinayoko replying for Auxerre in the second half, to move PSG six points clear of Lens with only two games left and with a far superior goal difference.

Lens ensured it is not yet mathematically over with a 3-1 victory at Lorient. Romain Faivre put the hosts ahead early on but goals from Florian Sotoca and Adrian Thomasson turned the match around before half-time and Seko Fofana made sure of the points late on.

Rennes boosted their European hopes by thumping relegated Ajaccio 5-0. Amine Gouiri scored a hat-trick while Mickael Alphonse was sent off for the Corsican side.

Brest defeated Clermont 2-1 while there were draws between Nice and Toulouse, Reims and Angers and Troyes and Strasbourg.

What the papers say

Bayern Munich are willing to offload Sadio Mane this summer after only one season at the club according to The Times. The 31-year-old forward has struggled for game time since his £28 million move from Liverpool last summer. He was fined last month after a dressing-room fight with team-mate Leroy Sane following the Champions League quarter-final defeat by Manchester City.

Meanwhile Feyenoord are preparing to offer their manager Arne Slo a “bumper” new contract in a bid to hang onto the 44-year-old amid interest from Tottenham, the Daily Mail says. The paper adds that the Dutch club have opened talks with Slot over a new contract understood to be worth over £2.5million a season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen are in advanced talks over the €15million (£13m) sale of midfielder Granit Xhaka, according to the Evening Standard. The 30-year-old was due to have one year left on his contract this summer.

And the Mail writes that Brighton are in the lead for the race for Liverpool midfielder James Milner. The 37-year-old is leaving Anfield at the end of this season and there are a number of offers on the table.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Harry Kane: Foot Mercato reports Paris St-Germain football adviser Luis Campos has met the 29-year-old Tottenham striker’s representatives about the possibility of signing him.

Kylian Mbappe: Sky Sports says Real Madrid want to sign the 24-year-old striker from PSG this summer.

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