Manchester United may be forced to rely on Harry Kane to force an exit from Tottenham Hotspur if they are to sign him in the summer.
Do Tottenham want to sell Harry Kane?
The England captain's future is being questioned heavily at the moment with just one year remaining on his current deal with the north London club.
And speaking on his YouTube channel, the reliable Fabrizio Romano has admitted the Lilywhites are completely against the idea of allowing Kane to leave in the summer.
This comes amid interest from the Red Devils with Erik ten Hag believed to be pushing for the 29-year-old striker ahead of the summer transfer window.
But the Italian journalist has insisted if a move is to happen it may need Kane to force his way out of N17 to open Spurs up to discussions with United.
He said: "On Manchester United's side, I can say that he's really appreciated by Manchester United; he is also appreciated by Erik ten Hag. So they really like the player – not just Man United, also other clubs around Europe.
"But the reality is that, from what I understand, Man United also know that Tottenham, at this stage, don't want to negotiate [over] Harry Kane. So the only way to see Harry Kane leaving Tottenham and joining Man United or any other club is for Harry Kane to decide and for Tottenham to tell Man United 'okay, we want to negotiate'."
What striker should Man United sign in the summer?
It is apparent the Red Devils will be going into the summer transfer window with a striker at the very top of their list on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo's exit last year.
In place of the Portuguese superstar, Wout Weghorst has stepped in and has been given a consistent run of games for United in which he has returned just two goals (via Transfermarkt).
And this has only emphasised the need for a reliable goalscoring option up top with Marcus Rashford carrying the weight of the responsibility in front of goal this season.
However, Kane is not the only striker who United have been linked with ahead of the summer.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is another name which is believed to be on their radar and the 24-year-old could certainly provide Ten Hag with a much younger option that could serve as a long-term option in the United side.
The Nigerian is enjoying a stunning campaign in Italy this season with the striker having already provided the league leaders with 19 goals in his 22 appearances (via Transfermarkt).
But Osimhen would still come with some risk having never played in the Premier League before and that is the certainty that signing Kane would likely provide United.
Osimhen is still young and will continue to develop, but Kane has demonstrated his all-round game which the Nigerian is not quite able to match at the moment.
Kane has racked up almost double the number of passes per 90 and provided a higher amount of shot-creating actions per game (via FBref).
Putting Kane into a side with the likes of Rashford who can run on in behind the defence is surely a mouthwatering prospect for Ten Hag.
