New Delhi: Former Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann has cautioned the Bundesliga champions to reconsider their reported decision of handing an early contract extension for the prolific striker Harry Kane, classifying the move as "madness".
England captain Kane is currently under contract that runs until 2027. Kane, 32, will turn 34 by the time his deal with the most decorated club in Bundesliga concludes. Last month, Bayern Munich's sporting director Max Eberl hinted at the prospect of extending Kane's stay with the club.
The prospect of handing a contract extension to Kane stems from his stellar record since his arrival in 2023. After finding the back of the net against Werder Bremen last month, Kane reached 100 goals in just 104 games for Bayern Munich.
Despite his scorching form, Hamann believes extending Kane's contract could turn out to be a misstep. While citing concerns over his age and long-term impact, Hamann questioned the logic behind renegotiating Kane's deal when he still has a year and a half left on his current agreement. He also wondered if the English forward has the capacity to score against top-tier teams in the European competition.
"That would be madness. He'll be 34 when the contract expires. You can't extend a contract that still has 20 months to run. It would be madness. At the European Championship, England won their games when Kane came off. Whether he scores against the best teams like Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal remains to be seen," Hamann said on Sky as quoted from Goal.com.
Since he joined Bavaria, Kane has earned plaudits for his all-round contribution and work rate. During Bayern's 2-1 win over arch-rival Dortmund, Kane appeared on the scoresheet and earned praise for his defensive output. However, Hamann sees it as a negative sign and feels the all-round efforts could distract Kane from his primary role.
"It shouldn't become common practice for Kane to slide tackle 20 meters from his own goal. The first thing that could suffer is that he stops scoring goals. This concern comes despite Kane opening the scoring in the 22nd minute of that very match, a result which sent Bayern seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga," the 52-year-old said.