Manchester United chose not to go after Harry Kane in the summer because they couldn't stomach negotiating with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
The Red Devils needed a new centre forward having lost Cristiano Ronaldo mid-way through last season, but despite being long-term admirers of Kane they decided to pursue other targets. According to The Athletic, Erik ten Hag urged the club to sign the England skipper, but having dealt with notoriously-difficult Levy in the past, United chiefs told the Dutchman they weren't going to bother.
They were convinced entering negotiations with Spurs would result in an ugly, drawn-out saga that had a high probability of ending with United either overpaying for Kane or not signing him at all, given Tottenham's reluctance to sell to a domestic rival.
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Bayern Munich ended up nabbing Kane for £86million (potentially rising to £100m), despite the fact the striker was turning 30 and had just one year remaining on his contract. The Bundesliga giants were locked in talks with Levy for months, much of which was spent fearing the deal might collapse.
The transfer was threatened even after the two teams had agreed a deal, with Levy briefly ordering Kane not fly to Munich for his medical after reportedly taking issue with a minor aspect of the agreement.
Even if they'd spent £120m+ on him, will Man Utd regret not signing Harry Kane in the summer? Let us know in the comments section below.
In the end, United signed Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund for roughly half the price they were quoted for Kane, though the Denmark international hasn't had the best of starts to life at Old Trafford. He's failed to score a single goal in eight Premier League appearances, though has had better luck in the Champions League, in spite of United's poor form in the competition, with five goals in four games.
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Kane, on the other hand, has been on fire for Bayern. He's scored a whopping 15 goals in 10 Bundesliga matches, which is a German football record at the stage of the season, and has 19 goals in all competitions. He'll be at Old Trafford in just over a month's time when Thomas Tuchel's men face United in the Champions League.
