Tottenham and England star Harry Kane was perched at the top of Manchester United’s summer shopping list but a deal now appears unlikely after the Red Devils’ latest decision over the original plan.
United have capitulated with no choice but to abandon their pursuit of Kane as they are adamant in refusing to match hard-nosed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s demands for the England captain.
Kane had been the cherry on at the top of the Red Devils’ summer transfer shortlist as a big-name striker is top of priority to Erik ten Hag for his plan moving the Old Trafford club forward this season to pose a serious challenge to bitter rivals Manchester City. And for this stage of the plans the England captain had been all the while perceived to be a realistic prospect due to him having just a year remaining on his contract in North London.
England captain Kane is also fresh off the back of another brilliant campaign as he still managed to string up another 30-goal haul in the recently-concluded Premier League season, finishing only second behind Manchester City wunderkind Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
United gaffer ten Hag had also openly made known his admiration of the striker, having spoken back in April ahead of the match between the Red Devils and Spurs. He said: “First of all the number of goals, and also his key actions [that] come to a goal, final passes as well. He is just a great player, great personality as well.”
Alas now, a switch to Old Trafford now appears highly unlikely as, according to The Guardian, the Red Devils have had to slam on the brakes and pull out of the race for his signature. This is solely due to the reason that the club hierarchy feels that the fee Spurs would demand for Kane’s signature would be totally ‘unrealistic’. Understandably Tottenham chairman Levy iwould be most anxious to hold onto his main lynchpin and would be willing to run the risk of him leaving on a free next summer at the end of his contract.
“[Kane] can absolutely win a trophy at Spurs,” Levy said in April of Kane’s future. “But being a legend is also important. The fact that he’s top scorer of Tottenham Hotspur – he’s making history. I hope one day that there is a statue of Harry Kane outside our stadium.”
United boss Ten Hag is reportedly to disappointed at the club’s decision to pull the plug on Kane but he fully comprehends the current situation at hand. Which now means one could well see the Red Devils make new moves for one of their alternative targets.
Numerous strikers have been lined up as alternative options to Kane this summer including Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani. Atalanta youngster Ramsus Hojlund is also on the hit list with reports that he had held talks virtually with the United gaffer, something that he was quick to deny. Speaking earlier this month, he said: “There has been no video call. I can’t say anything about that.
“It’s a huge club, so I must have done something right if it says they want me. My goal is to reach the top shelf, and you can say that Manchester United is. So it will be huge.”