Free drinks and bratwurst – Harry Kane offered contract to join German minnows
England captain Harry Kane was offered the chance to join a seventh-tier German side (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)
Harry Kane joked he will have to speak to his agent after being offered unlimited bratwurst and free drinks to leave Bayern Munich for a seventh-tier German team near England’s training base.
The 30-year-old England captain faced the media on Sunday afternoon as preparations continue in Blankenhain for Tuesday’s final Group C match against Slovenia in Cologne.
England are staying at Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land and have been made to feel welcome in the beautiful state of Thuringia, where Kane has been offered the chance to make a new permanent home.
Local comedian Jonas Greiner, representing broadcaster MDR Jump, asked the striker about his views on the area, before changing gears and offering him the chance to extend his stay in the region.
“Could you imagine to live here one day? Do you want to stay? We have a seventh division team you may have heard of, SG Lauscha/Neuhaus,” he said as he brought out a contract to laughter in the press room.
“They have a contract offer for you. You get free Thuringia rostbratwurst all you can eat, free drinks in every bar, and mindestlohn (minimum wage).
“You will have much more time for the national team. If you want, I have your jersey here.”
Greiner brought out a luminous yellow Lauscha/Neuhaus shirt with the number 20 on the back, leading a smiling Kane to say: “It’s very well prepared. I’ll have to talk to my agent and see what we can do!
“But you have good golf courses. I mean the golf course we’re staying on is fantastic so, yeah, it’s not a bad plus.
“It’s been great. You know the reception I’ve had not just here but in the whole of Germany has been incredible. I think since I moved to Bayern Munich I’ve added a lot of supporters to me.
“Every hotel we’ve been to so far and just around the stadium and everything, the support has been amazing, so I just want to say thank you for that.
“I don’t know if it’s on my mind to move here one day, but we appreciate you guys hosting us.”
While Kane may not be leaving Munich anytime soon, the England skipper did sign the Lauscha/Neuhaus shirt at the end of the press conference.
“My mission is to scout some new talents for the local teams because Thuringia is not a big football nation,” Greiner told the PA news agency.
“The highest team here is in the fourth German tier, so it’s not that high. It’s not that much professional football in Thuringia.
“So, I thought maybe if the players enjoy it here, we can win one player for a low division team, like seventh division, and I tried to get Harry Kane to play in Thuringia, to stay here.”
Greiner joked the ink on Kane’s signature was still wet enough to transfer from the shirt to his unsigned contract, allowing him to join a club that he said enjoyed a better season than Bayern.
“He could be good in the team,” he added. “We don’t have a Jude Bellingham, but we have many players who can drink on the one day and on the other day they play.
“They hit the ball even if they drank like 15 beers the day before and I guess that’s high-level pressure they can deal with.
“It would be a great match with a professional player who can score the goals so that the other players can drink like 17 beers the day before.
“They were promoted this year so it’s another benefit for Harry Kane – more titles than Bayern Munich this year!”