Why Man United might reconsider Harry Kane’s signing this summer

If you think Harry Kane is destined to leave Tottenham Hotspur for Manchester United this summer, then think again.

It seems like the obvious solution for Kane and United. Kane is approaching his 30th birthday in July and is still waiting to lift his first major trophy, while United have made a proven top scorer their summer No1 target as a key piece in the puzzle that once again sees the club as Premier League contenders – title will make.

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Kane and United appear to be a perfect match, but sources have told ESPN that the prospect of settling with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to broker a deal for the England captain has prompted United to focus on alternative options, including Napolis Victor Osimhen and Juventus striker Dusan Wlahovic. Despite Kane entering the final 12 months of his Spurs contract this summer, a source has told ESPN that United will not risk an extended pursuit of Kane, engineered by Levy to run into the closing hours of the summer transfer window .

“United cannot afford to start the season without a new striker,” the source said. “And having dealt with Levy in the past, they don’t want to go through this nightmare for Kane again with so much at stake, so they might not even get involved.”

However, Levy’s reputation as an excellent negotiator has two sides. Clubs trying to sign Spurs players find Levy, 61, the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman appointed in 2001, stubborn and difficult. But for his employers, he’s the man who resisted Manchester City’s attempts to sign Kane in 2021, secured a world-record £85m fee for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale in 2013 and forced United to break their own transfer record at 30, 75 pounds breaking m deal for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.

After the Bulgaria striker was signed just minutes before the deadline, a former United manager told ESPN that manager Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill have vowed never to do business with Levy again – a pact they have said until they both retired five years later.

“Daniel was adamant not to cut a deal unless the fee started with a three,” the former manager said. “Months of negotiations ended in the last minutes of the window and Sir Alex and David Gill have never forgotten that.”

15 years later by the summer of 2023 United would again face the same scenario if they identify Kane as the solution to the team’s scoring problems. Only Marcus Rashford has scored in double figures in the Premier League this season with 14 goals; Next is Bruno Fernandes with just five goals.

Since signing Robin van Persie from Arsenal in 2012, United have consistently failed to resolve their centre-forward problem. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored but were in their mid-30s when they arrived, while Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani, Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst were nothing more than band-aid signings, with mixed success. Romelu Lukaku was supposed to be the answer when he signed from Everton in 2017 but he was gone within two years after failing to meet his initial £75million transfer fee.

If Kane joins United he would be 30 before he has even kicked a ball for the club but Van Persie had a similar age profile when he arrived at 29 and the appeal of signing the Spurs striker is there that he could be a catalyst for a title challenge, as Van Persie has proven. But Levy knows United are desperate for a striker, so it’s unthinkable that he wouldn’t take advantage of their weakness by demanding a hefty fee for Kane – a fee United are likely to do given Kane’s age, contract situation and that of the club would not pay to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

If the player himself were to force the issue by going public with a desire to leave, that could open the door for a move, but United simply cannot wait until late summer before signing a striker, so be Interested in Osimhen and Vlahovic.

Right in the middle is Kane, a player who has provided incredible service to Tottenham and has stayed with the club much longer than many of his contemporaries probably would have. He broke Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring record this season, but he will have seen fewer players at opposing clubs win multiple trophies elsewhere and is a player whose career deserves a silver lining. His dilemma is clear – stay at Spurs and try to win that trophy, force a move or end his contract and go free agent in 2024.

There would be no guarantee of success at United, but despite the club’s struggles over the past decade, Kane’s England team-mate Rashford has won four major trophies since joining the team in 2016. He could win two more this season, with United still chasing the FA Cup and Europa League, having already won the Carabao Cup.

Some clubs find a way to win; others never seem able to cross the finish line first. Spurs have proven to be the latter, even with Kane scoring so consistently.

Bayern Munich, who are yet to replace Robert Lewandowski, have a longstanding interest in Kane, while his pedigree would always appeal to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. But those clubs are more likely next year if he were a free agent than a summer when Spurs could be asking in excess of £100m for their star player. Playing abroad would also end Kane’s chances of breaking Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260 goals – Kane now has 203 after his brace in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

If Kane decides to force a move this summer, United seems the obvious target but both Kane and United know Levy will make it hugely difficult and potentially impossible. Something has to give somewhere, but it won’t be Daniel Levy.