The England striker has hinted at a viable Spurs departure however the Red Devils ought to approach any potential move with caution.
On paper, Harry Kane to Manchester United is a match made in heaven and a conceivable transfer that would make sense for each parties.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is searching to reinvigorate his forward line when the transfer window opens once more – whenever that may be – and the England captain is precisely the kind of striker who could boost United’s attack.
Kane hinted at the weekend he would possibly not be at Spurs forever and with United being long-term admirers, and after a striker in the subsequent transfer window, it’s added fuel to an already burning fire.
When asked about his future on Instagram, Kane said: “I get asked this question a lot, it’s one of them things, I couldn’t say yes, I couldn’t say no.
“I love Spurs, I’ll always love Spurs, however it’s one of them things I’ve constantly stated if I don’t feel like we’re progressing as a team or going in the proper direction, I’m not someone to stay there just for the sake of it.
“I’m an ambitious player. I desire to become a top, top player, so it all relies upon on what happens as a team and how we development as a team.
“So, it’s not a definite I’m going to remain there forever however it’s not a no either.”
It has been known for some weeks that Kane would prefer a move to Old Trafford rather of staying at Spurs whilst they undergo an extensive rebuild below new boss and ex-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
But what seemed like a a trace towards a come-and-get-me plea from Kane was quickly shot down by the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in a declaration on Tuesday.
“When I read or hear stories about player transfers this summer like nothing has happened, people want to wake up to the enormity of what is happening round us,” Levy said.
And he is right.
In the grand scheme of everything that is going on in the world right now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the transfer window is not important. But clubs are nevertheless continuing to plan, and whether or not the window opens in three months, six or even nine, United have a strategy. They understand if they’re going to prise Kane away from Spurs it’s going to take more than a huge cheque.
Levy is a shrewd negotiator and it’s put people off dealing with Tottenham in the past. Sir Alex Ferguson recalled United’s dealings with him in 2008 when they signed Dimitar Berbatov claiming the Spurs chairman ‘nailed United to the flagpole’ with his pressurised negotiating.
“That whole ride was more painful than my hip replacement,” Ferguson wrote in his book Leading.
Not a ringing endorsement and it put United off dealing with Levy again. In 2011, when the club were in need of midfield reinforcements, they decided against making a move for Luka Modric, regardless of the player wanting the transfer, due to the fact of the thought of having to do business with Levy again.
David Gill, United’s former chief executive, has long since left and the understanding is that executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has no trouble with dealing with Levy. But United’s negotiation skills have been criticised in latest years with suggestions they have dragged their feet over targets and subsequently ended up missing out.
United’s negotiating to land Kane would have to be remarkable. Spurs don’t want to let their leading Premier League goalscorer go away and, regardless of whether or not he hints at a potential future exit, Levy is not going to let him go easily, specially not to a close rival.
Levy’s most latest comments suggest he is in no idea to start discussing contracts at this current stage.
Kane’s contract runs till 2024 so not only would it take a exceptional fee but some satisfactory negotiating to secure the England captain and that’s something United have been missing in current times. United finally bought Bruno Fernandes over the line in January , after disagreements with Sporting C.P. saw the deal drag on, and lessons from that would need to be taken going into any plausible talks with Tottenham.
Moreover, the 20-time English champions came into the season having failed to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez up the front and frantically performed a deadline-day loan move for Odion Ighalo at the end of January having missed out on Erling Haaland.
At 26, Kane is over the target age of 23 it is believed club sources view as being the perfect age for incoming transfers, however the forward does tick the box of ‘X-Factor’ that the club are additionally after.
As Ferguson warned others, dealing with Levy comes with side effects. Woodward isn’t afraid of Levy, Mauricio Pochettino was a serious contender for the manager’s job before Solskjaer was given it on a permanent basis, however it won’t be handy and the United hierarchy need to weigh up whether or not Kane is well worth it or if there are more attainable choices out there.
