Man United targeting Osimhen after deeming Kane ‘too expensive and a nightmare’

Manchester United will push ahead with a move for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen after deciding that Harry Kane was ‘too expensive’.

Kane, 29, will have one year left on his Tottenham deal by the end of the season and there’s significant uncertainty over Antonio Conte’s future at the club.

Spurs are also far from certainties for a top-four spot, while their hopes of a first piece of silverware in 15 years ended last week when they were knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan and the FA Cup by Sheffield United.

Kane is believed to be considering his future at the club but will wait to see if they make the top four and for the future of Conte to be resolved before he makes a final decision.

But, in any case, Spurs are reluctant to let Kane leave the club and would charge a premium fee to allow him to join a Premier League rival.

United believe Spurs – who are famously difficult to deal with under Daniel Levy – want more than £100m for Kane.

That would be a club record deal for a player that will be 30 by the time he arrives at Old Trafford and at a time when he’d have 12 months left on his deal.

While Ten Hag admires Kane and believes he would be an ideal fit at Old Trafford, United are contending with Financial Fair Play rules after a £220m outlay last summer.

Though Osimhen would likely cost around the same mark, the Nigerian is 24 and would have significant sell-on value even at the end of his first contract at the Theatre of Dreams.

United have therefore decided that Osimhen is their number one target, according to Sky Italy, and they will pursue a deal for the forward.

Osimhen has hit 21 goals in 27 matches for Napoli this season, who are on course to win their first league title in over 30 years.

The Nigeria international has made no secret of his desire to move to the Premier League at some stage of his career and he’s dropped a number of recent hints over a move to England.

‘I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me,’ Osimhen said only last week.

‘A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.

‘I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day but like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.’