Tottenham Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly have to fend off interest from Manchester United in star striker Harry Kane, with the Red Devils said to be ready to bid £80 million for the prolific England international.
United manager Jose Mourinho is prepared to rubber stamp a lavish offer to bring the 23-year-old to Old Trafford, according to Italian source Calciomercato.com (h/t James Walters of the Daily Star).
The reports claim Mourinho "has identified the England star as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's replacement at Old Trafford." If a move went through, Kane would become United's second-most expensive signing after the deal worth an initial £89 million brought Paul Pogba back to Manchester from Juventus last summer.
Kane is one of the few players in the world game actually close to being worth his exorbitant price tag. The forward is nothing short of lethal in front of goal.
He's a terrific finisher with either foot and deceptively effective in the air. Kane's movement off the ball is also some of the most perceptive in the game.
It's a favourite ploy of Kane's to drift out to the left flank and draw markers out of position. He is also not averse to dropping deep and creating spaces through the middle for runners from midfield to exploit.
The latter quality has created a terrific partnership between him and the gifted Dele Alli. It's the double act essential to Spurs' chances of success.
Alli is a burgeoning star, but Kane is the one player opposing teams must fear thanks to his talent for getting goals in bunches. The England international already has 10 Premier League goals to his credit this season, per WhoScored.com.
The efficient No. 10 set a brilliant personal mark when he bagged a brace in Sunday's 4-1 win over Watford. In the process, Kane equalled former Arsenal great Thierry Henry's 59 league goals in his first 100 games, according to Ben Nagle of MailOnline.
It's one more reason why Spurs fans will continue to revel at having a player their north London rivals would surely love to have leading the line. However, Tottenham will know it won't be easy to keep Kane without winning major trophies.
It will be doubly difficult to resist the spending power United can flex in the transfer market; Spurs couldn't keep Dimitar Berbatov from United's clutches back in 2008.
United eventually signed the Bulgarian after a protracted transfer saga that year and seem just as keen to one day land Kane. The Red Devils were linked with the striker back in November, when they were credited with monitoring Kane's contract standoff with Spurs, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror.
Of course, Kane appeared to end the speculation when he inked his name to a new deal running until 2022 to became Spurs' highest-paid player, according to the London Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse.
At the time, Kane declared his intention to stay at White Hart Lane for years, per Collomosse: "So yes, I am happy at the club and want to be here for a long, long time—and I am sure I will be.”
However, United appear determined to test Kane's and Spurs' resolve.
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