Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani will not remain at the club past this season, according to Fabrizio Romano, who said there is “no intention” from the club to extend his contract beyond this season.
With star-signing Cristiano Ronaldo not putting up the kind of numbers fans were hoping for this season, and now 37-years-old, the club are likely to make signing a new striker their priority – and Harry Kane is believed to once again be at the top of their shopping list.
What’s the news?
According to The Athletic, the England captain is “prime among thoughts at Old Trafford”, and a move is far likelier than it was last year due to “budgetary constraints” at the club after they signed Jadon Sancho for £76.5m from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
The report also states that Tottenham are in fact looking at potential replacements for the striker, utilising their relationship with ‘super-agent’ Jorge Mendes by holding talks over Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Roma’s Tammy Abraham.
This development should give United fans hope that they will see Kane line-up in a red shirt next season, as it appears that the north London club may already be preparing for life without their homegrown star, and have already conceded that they will have to sell him.
Kane would bring United back to glory
Kane would serve as an excellent alternative to clinical Borussia Dortmund Erling Haaland, who despite managing more league goals than the Spurs striker this season, is still the inferior option.
Interestingly, he has completed far fewer dribbles than the £90m-rated Englishman, who has been described as “sluggish” at times throughout his career.
However, the Premier League is the best league in the world, and the most difficult challenge for any player wanting to test themselves at the highest level, and Haaland is yet to do that – so to replicate Kane’s achievements will still be incredibly difficult.
Football writer Andrew Gaffney described him perfectly in 2020, saying: “Harry Kane is a different kind of animal. There is no striker in world football like him. First line of attack and first line of defence. What a captain.”
In the last 365 days, the 28-year-old has ranked in the top 5% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for passes into the final third per 90 (2.55), top 1% for through-balls per 90 (0.40), and top 7% for successful dribbles percentage per 90 (65.3%) – proving just how complete of a forward he is aside from just goal-scoring.
In comparison, United target Haaland, who rated Kane better than him in 2020, is in the worst 15% for passes into the final third per 90. He is also only in the top 50% for through balls and in the worst 46% for successful dribbles. As a result, it’s evident the Spurs man would offer a great deal more to the Red Devils’ front line.
With him now just 83 goals away from breaking Alan Shearer’s record for all-time Premier League goals scored (260), Kane is hungrier than ever to score goals, and with his incredible teamwork, hunger and desire to improve not only himself and the players around him, he can help United return to the glory days of old.
In other news: “Completed in the coming days”: Romano drops big MUFC claim, supporters surely buzzing