Manchester United appear to be acting with an uncharacteristic haste this summer, which extends as much to the deals they are prepared to do as the ones they are not. Harry Kane now seems to be an example of the latter.
As reported by Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, The Red Devils have ended their interest in Kane altogether.
United have conceded that the amount of money that would be required to complete a deal for the England captain is far from realistic at this time.
Erik ten Hag was believed to have made Kane his primary target leading into the summer, but is thought to understand that the club simply cannot afford to sign the striker, particularly given Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy’s outlandish stance regarding a player in the final year of his contract.
Levy seems to be convinced that he can persuade the Spurs star to extend his stay in North London, despite having received no indication from the player that he intends to stay on beyond 2024.
The pool of strikers from which United can recruit from is shrinking, with SSC Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis pricing Victor Osimhen, another ideal candidate for United, out of a move at £130m.
Instead Man United will look to recruit Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, with a deal for the Norwegian expected to be doable at under or around the £50m-mark.
As reported by The Peoples Person earlier, this is a more comfortable price point for the club to operate in this summer, with last year’s £220m splurge now showing its lasting effects in the face of UEFA’s new FFP ruling.
But by moving swiftly on from Harry Kane and avoiding becoming entangled in a lengthy transfer saga – as happened last summer with Frenkie de Jong – United will hope to secure sensible deals that improve Erik ten Hag’s squad ahead of next season.
A £40m offer for Mason Mount has been submitted, and while it may have been rejected, there is confidence that a deal will be done.
Manchester United may not be in the race for a genuine world class centre forward of Kane or Osimhen’s calibre, but there is little doubt that additions such as Hojlund and Mount will improve upon the options Ten Hag was forced to call upon last season.
By acting more decisively in the transfer market this time around, the hope is that the manager will have plenty of time to get his squad prepared for his second campaign at Old Trafford.
