MLS commissioner Don Garber urges Harry Kane to follow Lionel Messi to America as 'dream' transfer target

Garber has expressed his desire to see Kane cross the Atlantic. The 33-year-old Bayern striker recently revealed his interest in eventually moving to North America, initially sparking discussions about a potential career as an NFL kicker.

Kane remains in spectacular form for both club and country, recently marking his 125th England appearance with his 91st international goal against Czechia. However, Garber hopes the prolific forward will spend time in MLS before stepping onto the gridiron.

Luring the England captain to the United States would represent another massive coup for the competition. Garber views Kane's genuine interest as proof that their long-term strategy to build a globally respected league is finally paying off.

Garber believes that attracting global superstars like Kane is exactly what the league's founders envisioned. He highlighted how Messi's arrival at Inter Miami proved that MLS can successfully compete with traditional European giants and lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia.

"I'd love for him to do that," Garber stated, as quoted by ESPN. "I think, for me, it is the fulfilment of the dream that we had to build a proper soccer league that would drive a soccer nation. That sounds colloquial but actually we have that written down.

"We wanted to create something that would have the Harry Kanes of the world say 'I'd kind of like to play in MLS.' And I think Messi proved that. That was a competitive process, working to ensure that we had a dynamic that would be better than going back to Barca, working a dynamic that would not have him want to play in Saudi Arabia.

Garber, who prepares to step down from his role as commissioner to become chairman at the end of the year, remains eternally grateful to David Beckham. The former Manchester United midfielder transformed the American soccer landscape when he joined LA Galaxy.

Beckham's groundbreaking arrival added vital credibility and paved the way for other high-profile stars like Thierry Henry to follow suit. That momentum accelerated even further when Beckham helped form Inter Miami and secured Messi's signature in 2023.

"David put this league on the path to credibility and respect. In the prime of his career, he came to LA," Garber explained. "He came into Major League Soccer and showed the world that this league can be competitive, it could be respected, it could be fun, it could have great players.

"It attracted Henry and many, many other players right after that, so without David there's probably no Major League Soccer. That being said, Major League Soccer would not be the global phenomenon and not be sort of on the hearts and minds of just about anybody in the world without Leo Messi."

Since taking over in 1999, Garber has overseen the transformation of the U.S. into the world's largest commercial market for football. The goal now is to translate that off-field success into consistent on-field dominance against the best clubs from Europe and South America.