Ian Wright has called for Manchester United to offer out-of-favour striker Anthony Martial in a player-plus-cash deal for Harry Kane this summer – but such a plan may meet resistance from Joel Glazer.
United have stepped up their interest in the boyhood Tottenham fan who, aside from loan spells earlier in his career, has spent the entirety of his career at the North London club. Yet Kane is out of contract at Spurs next year and the club may be tempted to cash in this summer.
Kane, 29, is said to be on a three-man shortlist of strikers United want to sign this summer. Their admiration for the England captain is absolute, but their interest in his signing will likely be dependent on his contractual situation – with Spurs perhaps feeling that an exit would be mutually beneficial for all parties.
Any move for a top-level striker would likely signal the end of Martial’s eight-year stay at Old Trafford, with the Frenchman struggling for fitness once again this season and when he has been afforded a chance in Erik ten Hag’s team, his performances have not proven to be decisive.
Wright believes offering Martial in a swap deal for Kane would be a ‘no-brainer’ but the club’s Glazer family formerly blocked Jose Mourinho’s attempts to sell the forward – when the former boss tried to allow Martial to leave in a move to tempt then-Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic to Old Trafford.
Joel Glazer stepped in and refused to green-light the Frenchman's exit despite the clear benefits. He has even reportedly compared Martial to Brazilian icon Pele before and clearly holds him in incredibly high regard.
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"If Man United came now, Harry Kane with a year left, let's say they put £60million on the table and we'll throw in someone - Martial, whatever - it's a very good deal," Arsenal legend Wright told his Wrighty's House podcast.
"If Man United have got any serious thinking about what we need to do next, it's a No.9. It seems like a no-brainer that Harry Kane is the person. He takes them somewhere else."
Martial has bagged five goals in 13 United appearances this campaign but has netted just 84 times across his eight seasons at Old Trafford – a conversion rate which has seen him fluctuate in and out of the first team. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo have all been signed in the years since, with the quartet all leaving United.
Yet the club’s attempts to land a long-term first-team striker this summer, whether that is Kane or someone else, may well spell time on Martial’s tenure at the club. Amid the uncertainty of the club’s Glazer ownership, the Frenchman’s main supporter at Old Trafford may also be on their way out.
