Manchester United's quest to pry Harry Kane from Tottenham

Manchester United FC are on the verge of a major overhaul and it is now being reported that the club is preparing to swoop in for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane this summer. The Red Devils are believed to be on course to make an £80million offer for the England captain.

Manchester United have been suffering for most of the past decade, and even the return of Cristiano Ronaldo did little to help them get back to their glory days. However, many things have changed since the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag, who has made a positive impact despite his well-publicised spat with Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star left the club late last year by mutual agreement just months after the arrival of Ten Hag. Since then, the Dutchman has been able to breathe some life into the squad, taking them up to a precarious third place in the Premier League standings.

Now, Ten Hag is looking towards making more big changes in the coming months and the signing of the prolific England captain is believed to be his top priority. According to the Daily Star, he has now been given the "green light" to persuade Kane to head to Old Trafford.

Harry Kane has one year left on his Spurs contract

Kane has been a standout star for Tottenham Hotspur for a number of years, and has become the club's all-time record goalscorer. His contract runs out in 2024, and the club knows that this summer will be the time to sell if they want to cash in. Otherwise, they could risk losing him on a free transfer once his contract expires.

The 29-year-old is at the peak of his career, but he is well aware that he does not have much time to chase trophies. His value will drop significantly once he hits 30 in July this year, meaning he needs to make a drastic decision if he wants to realise his full potential at a championship winning club.

Unfortunately, the chaos at Tottenham may contribute towards Kane's decision to leave. Manager Antonio Conte has just been sacked following a shocking rant against the club's players about a lack of winning culture in the dressing room. Kane may wait and see what Conte's replacement can bring to the table, but the uncertainty will surely give him a lot to think about.

United will face competition from the biggest clubs

United need to act fast if they want to secure Kane's signature. He was believed to have been keen to join Manchester City in 2021, and there is also interest coming from Chelsea FC. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Spain's FC Barcelona have also been credited with interest for the striker, although the Catalans need to sort out their financial issues before they can join the transfer circus.

Despite the competition, Ten Hag is confident that the progress at Old Trafford in the past few months could be enough to convince Kane to join his program. Furthermore, Manchester United is currently up for sale, meaning the club's new owners may have ambitious goals and could be capable of offering a lucrative contract to the England star.

After the second round of bidding, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS) and Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's Qatari group are leading the race to take over from the Glazer family. With a fresh vision and cash injection potentially coming in, Kane could be in for a retirement plan if he plays his cards right.

Even though he has been able to excel at Spurs and has a number of Golden Boot awards, Kane has never won a major trophy. For a player of his calibre, the massive void in his trophy cabinet is something that has been spoken about in the football world for a number of years. He will be spoilt for choice if he becomes available, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will not budge so easily.

He will hope that the arrival of a new manager will be enough to entice Kane to stay. If the player still decides to leave, Levy will want to cash in handsomely for his biggest star. A £150m price tag was placed on Kane when City tried to sign him in 2021. With a year left in his contract, that amount is expected to go lower this summer but Levy will try to push it as high up as he possibly can.