Explained: How Man Utd signing Casemiro killed Harry Kane's chances of completing Old Trafford transfer in summer 2023 - despite forward being Erik ten Hag's No.1 target

The Red Devils knew that they were going to be in need of more firepower during the summer transfer window of 2023. England captain Kane, given his record-breaking exploits at Premier League rivals Tottenham, was an obvious option for United to explore.

According to The Athletic, those plans had to be shelved – with no “genuine approach” ever made for Kane – as it became apparent that the funds required to do a deal were not available. It has already been claimed that “Cristiano Ronaldo money” would have to be found in order to meet Kane’s contract demands, and United were unable to finance such a move.

That is partly because they had already invested £60 million ($76m), plus a further £10m ($13m) in add-ons and a sizeable salary, on luring Brazil international midfielder Casemiro away from Real Madrid in 2022. That switch left them with little room to manoeuvre on the Financial Fair Play (FFP) front.

United went for Casemiro as they needed an immediate impact in the middle of the park, with transfer plans drawn up quicker than anticipated following Ten Hag's arrival as coach. Rather than move for Kane in 2023, as he ended up joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, the Red Devils instead invested in Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund.