Man Utd told to sign Kane alternative who ‘has it all’ as Ten Hag ‘needs more’ than £200m duo

Lewis Oldham
Man Utd target Kane

Man Utd have been told why they should avoid signing England striker Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur during this summer’s transfer window.

The Red Devils are expected to be busy this summer and one of their priorities is to sign a new striker.

They need to strengthen in that department after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club. Wout Weghorst’s loan deal is unlikely to be made permanent and Anthony Martial could be let go in the summer.

It is expected that United will have to sell players to raise funds, which will be necessary if they pursue Kane. He is valued at around £100m by Tottenham.

Kane is out of contract in 2024 and it is yet to be seen whether he will commit his future to Spurs beyond the end of his current deal.

Andy Cole does not want Man Utd to sign Kane as he would be a “short-term solution”. Instead, he wants his former club to buy Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Manchester United can’t go with a short-term solution again,” Cole told William Hill.

“They can’t go and spend £80 million or £100 million on Harry Kane. In two years’ time, they’ll turn round and say to themselves, ‘he’s 32, we need to get ourselves another striker’. They can’t afford to find themselves in that position again.”

He added: “I like Victor Osimhen – I think if he came to Manchester United, the way I’ve seen him play for Napoli, he could do it at Manchester United.

“He’s strong, he’s physical, he can stretch the team and run in behind, he can score from wide areas, headers, crosses, he’s got good feet… He’s got it all. When it comes to numbers, it all depends on whether you’ve got the numbers to justify the money because if you buy him for £120 million, that’s your budget gone.”

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Man Utd are also being linked with Arsenal target Declan Rice. West Ham are understood to value him at around £100m.

Cole has warned Man Utd that they “need more than two players”.

“I still don’t believe even if you brought in Harry Kane and Declan Rice that Manchester United would find themselves in a position where people are talking about them finishing second,” Cole added.

“There’s no way Chelsea can get any worse, it’s not possible, if they got any worse you might as well come out of retirement. Liverpool can’t get any worse, Tottenham also can’t get any worse, then look at Arsenal.

“I look at teams like that and see where Manchester City are, you’ve got to close the gap there first. For me, those two players wouldn’t close the gap – United need more than two players.”

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