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Manchester United’s place in the queue for Harry Kane has been revealed with sources indicating the Bayern Munich striker will look to return to England next year, according to a report.
The hunt for a striker
The Red Devils are still on the hunt for a new striker this summer after a failed pursuit of first-choice target, Ipswich Town frontman Liam Delap, who rebuffed United’s advances in favour of a switch to Chelsea.
There was also interest in Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting CP) and Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt). But both forwards have followed a similar path to Delap in prioritising moves to United’s domestic rivals with Arsenal signing Gyokeres and Ekitike joining Liverpool.
As a result, United’s list has now narrowed to Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) and Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig). Deals for both strikers are being explored despite their contrasting profiles in terms of age, experience, and skillset.
United’s focus this summer has centred around Premier League pedigree as demonstrated by the double swoop for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo – two forwards with a track record of goals in England’s top division.
This may give the edge to Watkins over Sesko with Ruben Amorim believed to want a proven goal-scorer to lead the line at Old Trafford after watching the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee last season – two strikers without a track record of goals in England’s top division.
But, building slowly in the background, there remains the prospect of United securing a number nine with the best track record of goals in the Premier League in recent memory, Harry Kane – it would just take another twelve months to materialise.
Kane back on the menu
Kane, 32, is a player many feel should be playing at Old Trafford; the type of striker Sir Alex Ferguson would have moved heaven and earth to secure were the great Scot still at the helm.
United were strongly linked with a move for the England captain in the summer of 2023 but the obstinate presence of Daniel Levy was considered prohibitive to reaching a deal with Tottenham Hotspur.
Instead, United opted to sign Hojlund in a deal worth £72 million while Kane signed for Bayern Munich for £86.4m. In terms of value for money, there has been only one winner.
Kane has proved a phenom in Bavaria, returning 85 goals and 26 assists in 96 appearances for Bayern. He won the first trophy of his career last season as he fired his side to the Bundesliga title.
But, according to The Telegraph, there is a growing possibility the 32-year-old striker could look to return to England next summer after the World Cup in America.
The report states: “there are already industry mutterings that Harry Kane will look to return to England after the World Cup in 2026. There is a clause in his Bayern Munich contract that reportedly decreases each year and insiders believe the German club may do business next summer. Tottenham secured a first-option clause in the deal to sell Kane to Bayern, but that would only be applicable should Bayern agree to sell Kane and the striker wanted to return to Tottenham.
“There is no fixed fee in Spurs’ first-option agreement, meaning the club would still have to trigger his release clause or negotiate a price with Bayern for Kane.”
Bayern are wily operators in the transfer market, and if Die Roten sense an opportunity to cash in on a then 33-year-old forward who commands the biggest wage packet at the club, they are unlikely to hesitate.
And it is United who “currently provide the most likely destination” if Kane is to leave the Allianz Arena next summer, industry sources reveal to The Telegraph.
Whether United would factor this distant prospect into their hunt for a new striker this summer remains to be seen.
But if the club are leaning towards Watkins due to proven Premier League pedigree, the fact that an even better version of this option could arrive next year, thus enabling United to instead secure Sesko – one of the standout forward prospects in Europe – could proven an irresistible combination.
Featured image Ian MacNicol via Getty Images
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