Manchester United prepare £170m swoop for Harry Kane and Alvaro Morata

Manchester United have emerged shock candidates to sign Harry Kane in the summer with Jose Mourinho urging his recruitment team to give up the chase for Cristiano Ronaldo and instead make a move for the free-scoring Tottenham Hotspur forward to shore up their chances of a title challenge next season.

The Mirror reports that Tottenham value the striker at £100m ($128m) and United want to complete a double swoop for Kane and Alvaro Morata, with the duo set to put the Red Devils back by a fee in the range of £170m ($217.5m). Mourinho is a huge fan of the forward and despite reservations at Tottenham over selling to a direct rival, a world record fee will force the club to make a note and take notice.

Mourinho is reportedly keen to spend as much money as required to sign the forward. Kane scored 35 goals and seven assists in all competitions last season, more than any other player, and would give United a potency up front, which would strike fear into any team across Europe. Add Morata to that line-up and you have a pair who have scored a combined 58 goals in their respective leagues last season.

Real Madrid are willing to sell Morata for a fee in the range of €80m (£70m, $89.5m) and will not reduce their asking price as they know that United are ready to come up with the amount to complete a move for their priority target. Morata was the second highest goalscorer in all competitions for Real last season with 20. He scored three more in the European Championships with Spain, taking his tally to 23. However, with the World Cup approaching next year, the former Juventus man is ready to make a move to England for more time on the pitch.

United have been very active in the market this season and have already completed a deal for Victor Lindelof while pursuing a host of other options. Monaco midfield strongman Fabinho is another player who has caught the eye of Mourinho, as he looks to build a squad to challenge on all fronts next season.