Harry Kane is there for the taking! Man Utd must hijack Bayern Munich's move for Tottenham striker

"It's in our power to get the right man in. We know our targets. We do everything we can, every effort we put in to get this done. It's an area where we need improvement."

Ten Hag confirmed United's determination to bring in a new No.9 in a press conference last week, before seeing his team pick up a 2-0 friendly win over Arsenal in New Jersey. The Red Devils have a 100 percent record so far in pre-season, but their lack of clinical edge remains apparent.

"You have to score, you have to net. That was already our problem last year and we have to realise that, we have to be more ruthless and clinical in those situations," the Dutchman said after United's unconvincing 1-0 victory against Lyon on July 19.

The answer is standing right in front of them. It's a no-brainer for United to go all out for Kane - who has been unquestionably the most consistent centre-forward in the Premier League for the best part of a decade.

"Harry Kane would be the ideal player, for me, to go and join Manchester United," club legend Wayne Rooney said in a recent interview with The Athletic. "If Manchester United have Harry Kane, then that gives their chances of going to win, and compete, a lot easier."

Marcus Rashford hit 30 goals for United last season, and was rewarded with a new long-term contract, but he is quite clearly not the answer to the club's No.9 conundrum. He would cause more damage with a proper target man to link up with from the left - and who better than his England team-mate Kane.

The Tottenham talisman is one of the last remaining old-school central strikers in the modern game, and arguably the best. Kane can score from any angle with both feet, he's strong in the air and boasts an exceptional passing range that puts most midfielders to shame.

He's equally as comfortable with his back-to-goal as he is facing it, which makes him the perfect fit for United. Ten Hag needs a prolific marksman who will also improve the team's general build-up play, and Kane ticks all the boxes.

United have already spent over £100m to bring in Mason Mount from Chelsea and Andre Onana from Inter, which leaves them with very little left in the transfer pot. It has been reported that the Red Devils' budget has been restricted by a Financial Fair Play cap, meaning they will have to sell some first-team stars in order to sign any more new players.

Alex Telles completed a £6m move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr after Zidane Iqbal was sold to Utrecht for just £850,000, while the departures of David de Gea, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones have helped to reduce United's overall salary bill. Ten Hag could settle for the squad he has, but it makes sense to clear out some more deadwood and free up funds for Kane.

United could listen to offers for at least 11 other players, including deposed captain Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho. There appears to be no reason for Maguire to stick around after losing the armband to Bruno Fernandes, and he is attracting interest from West Ham and Aston Villa.

Sancho, meanwhile, has seen questions asked over his future after two underwhelming seasons at Old Trafford. United won't recoup the full £73m ($94m) they paid Borussia Dortmund for the winger in 2021, but the 23-year-old should still command a significant fee.

The likes of Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek and Fred are also being linked with moves away, having fallen further down the squad pecking order since Ten Hag's appointment as manager, and the Dutch tactician should not hesitate to let them go.

United can afford to sacrifice a bit of depth if it means securing Kane's signature, and in the long run, they will be far better off. There are certain members of the current squad that simply do not offer enough to the collective cause.

Since stepping back from Kane, United have been working on a potential deal for Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund, who enjoyed a breakout 2022-23 season at the Gewiss Stadium. The 20-year-old has been dubbed the 'Danish Erling Haaland' in some circles, which has helped to highlight his impressive talents - but also painted an inaccurate picture.

United have agreed personal terms with Hojlund, who netted a modest total of 10 goals in Serie A last season. Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has backed Hojlund to become one of the "strongest strikers in the world", but has also expressed his belief that he would be better off continuing his development in Bergamo at this stage of his fledgling career.

"I don’t know if he’s leaving, the market is unpredictable. I hope for the club they €80, 90, 100 million. The market value changes," Gasperini added when quizzed on Hojlund earlier this month. Spending that much on a player so obviously lacking experience at the highest level would be a huge gamble from United. Hojlund wouldn't strike fear into Premier League defences like Kane.

Realistically, the Atalanta star may not even be a guaranteed starter for United, at least not to begin with. He would need time to adapt to the demands of English football and to learn how to function in Ten Hag's system. There would be no repeat of Haaland's record-breaking debut season at Manchester City. And United won't have much hope of closing the sizeable gap on their treble-winning arch-rivals with Hojlund leading the line.

But Kane could have that impact. He scored 30 goals for Tottenham in 2022-23, despite their failure to finish in the top seven - which underlines just how good he is. He's been carrying Spurs for years, but at United, he would have the chance to reach an even higher level and fulfil his silverware ambitions. Hojlund cannot measure up in terms of his potential as a transformative signing.

According to German outlet Bild, Kane's wife has been spotted looking at houses in Bavaria as Bayern prepare to launch their third bid for the Spurs star. The couple are expecting their fourth child and have a settled family life in England, which means they won't take the decision to up sticks and head abroad lightly.

And even though Kane appears to have given the green light to join Bayern, it would still be a huge surprise if the transfer goes through. The England captain was also touted for a move away from his native country in 2021, when Real Madrid emerged as suitors. But Kane shut those rumours down in an interview with Gary Neville, saying: "Of course, there's always the option of maybe moving abroad one day but I don't think that really interests me in the near future."

At the time, Kane instead chose to push for a switch to Manchester City, only for Levy's demands to put off Pep Guardiola's side. Kane won't turn his back on the Premier League unless he has no other choice.

At the moment, Bayern are in the clear to sign him, but United can change the whole picture of the saga if they reignite their pursuit. Kane will be well aware that he is currently playing in the best league in the world and the Red Devils are on their way back to the top of it.

He'd be almost guaranteed a first major trophy at Bayern in the form of the Bundesliga, and Thomas Tuchel's side could genuinely compete for the Champions League with Kane upfront. But motivation levels are harder to sustain when everything comes easy, as the man he'd essentially be replacing at Allianz Arena learned the hard way.

Before forcing a £50m ($64m) transfer to Barcelona last summer, Robert Lewandowski said: "Something has died in me, I want to leave Bayern for more emotions in my life." Lewandowski scored 40 or more goals in each of his seven seasons at Bayern, but felt empty by the end of his time at the club.

United have the ability to offer Kane a challenge that Bayern, and indeed PSG, simply cannot. He could become the greatest Premier League striker ever at Old Trafford, and his legacy wouldn't be improved in the same way by successful spells in Germany or France.

Time is now running out for Kane to seal a dream transfer. He either leaves Tottenham now, or accepts his lot in north London and takes the risk of ending his career empty-handed.

New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is certainly looking forward to the saga being concluded, as he told reporters from his pre-season camp in Thailand: "I think, for everyone concerned, we don’t want to be doing it for too long. I don’t think that is good for anyone. I don’t think it is good for Harry, I don’t think it is good for the club because, as laser-focused as we want to be, you end up repeating yourself along the way."

That sense of urgency works in Bayern's favour, as United seem to be focusing all of their efforts on Hojlund at the moment. Kane will have to choose between a new start in Germany or an extended stay at Spurs unless the Red Devils wake up and realise they will never get a better opportunity to fast-track their return to the elite stage. Kane and United are a match made in football heaven. And signing a player of Kane's calibre is about as close to a guarantee of success as you can get.

"I’m not saying to go and spend £150m on Kane but Man United should act like the big club they are and go make the deal happen," former United striker Dwight Yorke told BoyleSports earlier this month. "Bayern Munich is a huge club, so Man United will have to do what’s necessary to bring Kane in, we know what he brings to the table, it’s priceless."

If United are serious about lifting their first Premier League title since 2013 and making a mark on the Champions League in the next few seasons, they have to invest in a striker that can genuinely match Haaland's exploits at the Etihad Stadium. Kane is the perfect man for the job and he's there for the taking. United just need to open the door for him.