Ed Woodward wanted to sign Harry Kane for Manchester United last summer but the club couldn’t afford him after buying Jadon Sancho, a new report has claimed.
Former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in a £73million deal last July, making him their biggest signing of the summer transfer window.
Solskjaer held a long-term interest in the winger and the Red Devils had attempted to lure him from Germany the summer before but failed to agree terms with the Bundesliga club, who wanted £108m for their English star.
Manchester United did not have the funds to sign Harry Kane after paying for Jadon Sancho
Therefore, when the opportunity to sign the former Manchester City winger for a reduced fee came up, Solskjaer and United couldn’t say no.
Sancho returned to Manchester just four years after quitting rivals City to move to Germany, where he scored 50 goals in 137 matches for Dortmund.
According to The Athletic, Manchester United’s signing of Sancho was the main reason why the Premier League giants pulled out of the race to sign Kane.
Woodward reportedly told Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy that United were still interested in Kane, but said they would have to wait until 2022 to finalise a deal due to the financial ramifications of signing Sancho.
Manchester United have made Tottenham striker Harry Kane one of their primary targets
United now have Kane as a primary target ahead of this summer’s transfer window, with the Red Devils eager to replace Edison Cavani, who is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
United had been linked to the Tottenham striker last season after the 28-year-old told Levy he wanted to leave Spurs to pursue trophies and domestic success elsewhere.
Manchester City made a number of unsuccessful bids for the England striker, who is yet to sign a new contract with Spurs.
According to The Athletic, United have re-ignited their…