Transfer Gossip: Man Utd zero in on two strikers after Harry Kane discovery; Liverpool tipped to launch three Prem raids
Man Utd have begun to focus their striker search on two frontmen not named Harry Kane after a Tottenham realisation, while Liverpool have three midfielders all from the same country in mind if they miss out on Jude Bellingham.
MAN UTD PREPARED TO ABANDON KANE PURSUIT
Why the Red Devils are turning their attention to two strikers in Serie A rather than pursuing a move for Tottenham talisman Harry Kane has been revealed.
Manchester United are on the hunt for a new centre-forward this summer and few would come with the same guarantee of goals as Harry Kane.
The 29-year-old is Premier League proven and given his contract expires in 2024, may be available for transfer at season’s end.
Tottenham hope to tie their lethal hitman down to fresh terms. However, Kane’s desire to lift major silverware – something he’s not yet done in north London – could spark an exit.
Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are widely believed to be United’s two primary targets. However, according to ESPN, the situation has now changed.
They report that despite Kane appearing to be the ‘perfect fit’ at Old Trafford, United are now ‘focussing on alternative options’, namely Osimhen and Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus.
Explaining why, the report adds Man Utd fear a prolonged pursuit with Spurs’ notoriously tough negotiator, Daniel Levy, has sparked fears United may wind up beginning the next campaign without a new striker on the books.
A source is quoted as telling ESPN: “United can’t afford to start the season without a new striker.
“And having dealt with Levy in the past, they don’t want to go through that nightmare all over again for Kane with so much at stake, so they might not even get involved.”
Tottenham previously rejected multiple offers north of £100m for Kane when Man City came calling in 2021.
City were ultimately left empty-handed that window with regards to additions at centre-forward. Erling Haaland arrived at the Etihad 12 months later.
Osimhen and Vlahovic are therefore emerging as genuine targets to give Erik ten Hag a much needed burst of firepower. Marcus Rashford (14) is United’s only player to score more than five league goals this season.
Osimhen is likely to cost just as much as Kane, though aged 23, would represent a much longer-term investment.
A Vlahovic exit from Juventus, meanwhile, was recently termed ‘almost inevitable’ by CalcioMercatoWeb. The Turin club have been handed a 15-point deduction in Serie A and as a result, are highly unlikely to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The loss of future revenue will force Juve to cash in on some of their biggest stars and Vlahovic is one being earmarked for an exit.
LIVERPOOL EYE THREE BELLINGHAM ALTERNATIVES
Three Portuguese midfielders who all play for Premier League sides are in Liverpool’s sights if they miss out on signing Jude Bellingham, per a report.
Signing Bellingham is Jurgen Klopp’s main goal in the summer transfer window. The Reds are competing with Real Madrid and Man City and are understood to have laid the most groundwork behind the scenes.
However, Liverpool must plan for a future in which Bellingham doesn’t join and per the Sun, three Portuguese midfielders could make up for missing out on the Dortmund ace.
The newspaper put Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Wolves pair Matheus Nunes and Ruben Neves in Liverpool’s sights.
Palhinha was recently confirmed as a Liverpool target by the Daily Mail. The 27-year-old leads all EPL players in tackles this season and would greatly stiffen a Reds midfield that has gone soft this season.
Nunes and Neves are more cultured players and would likely take up positions either side of the holding midfielder in Klopp’s customary three-man midfield.
Of the trio, Neves would arguably be the easiest to sign given he’ll enter the last year of his contract at Molineux this summer. Nunes and Palhinha, meanwhile, are both under contract at their respective clubs until 2027.
