For Erik ten Hag, the priority for Manchester United in the upcoming summer transfer window is clear: signing an elite No.9.
The Dutchman has turned United's fortunes around since his arrival from Ajax last year and will expect to be backed in the transfer market to continue reshaping a playing squad that is still some way off being capable of challenging Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League.
Plenty of players have been linked with a switch to Old Trafford already, but Tottenham talisman Harry Kane is believed to be the striker that Ten Hag covets above all others.
Kane, 29, has just one year left to run on his current contract and it remains to be seen if he would be willing to commit his future to Spurs in the wake of their disappointing campaign.
A fresh report from The Sun has claimed that Kane's preference would be to join Manchester United as he is desperate to remain in the Premier League as he continues to chase down Alan Shearer's all-time goalscoring record. But Daniel Levy is unlikely to entertain the idea of selling his star striker to a huge domestic rival.
If that does prove to be the case, Kane could opt to stay at Tottenham and see out the final year of his contract before leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2024.
However, that would pose Ten Hag with a huge dilemma as he plots to build a team capable of challenging for major honours sooner rather than later.
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While snaring Kane for nothing next summer would almost certainly appeal to Manchester United, it's hard to see how they can afford to go another year without a quality striker.
Neither Anthony Martial nor Wout Weghorst are up to the task and both are unlikely to be at the club next season whilst Marcus Rashford prefers - and is most effective - playing on the left-hand side of the frontline.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been touted alongside Kane as a potential target after plundering 25 goals in the Italian outfit's Scudetto-winning campaign. The 24-year-old is also valued in the £100million bracket, though, so it's unlikely United would be able to entertain the idea of having both him and Kane on their books.
In a recent interview with The Times, Ten Hag stressed that United needed playings who can help ease the goalscoring burden on Rashford. The United boss said: “He [Rashford] can play as a centre forward, can play from the left, can play from the right. When you see his stats, he is scoring everywhere but he feels more comfortable as a centre forward or from the left.”
He added: “What we need besides Marcus Rashford is one extra player with scoring abilities whether it’s coming out of our own squad or we have to sign one.”
