Harry Kane and the three strikers Manchester United rejected in favour of Rasmus Hojlund | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag was desperate to sign one of the best strikers in the world

Manchester United rejected the chance to sign Harry Kane in favour of a move for Rasmus Hojlund, it has been revealed.

That put United off, along with moves for Randal Kolo Muani - who went on to join Paris Saint-Germain for around £70m - and Victor Osimhen, who at the time would have cost a similar figure as Kane.

Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in the world

Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Benni McCarthy, a coach at United at the time, has confirmed club bosses vetoed a move for Kane in favour of the far younger Hojlund, who was signed from Atalanta in a deal worth up to £72m.

"In the summer of 2023, Harry Kane was our No.1 target," McCarthy told Ladbrokes. "Because he would have been leaving Spurs for United, a few extra million pounds were added on to the price tag, which, you know, for a 30-year-old wasn't seen to be wise.

"But for £100million, if you look at it now, you'd say that it would have been well worth it because he's gone to Bayern and he's still producing, he's still scoring. So you think we should have just bitten the bullet and got Harry Kane and then also tried to invest in Rasmus Hojlund. That would have been the best thing for Rasmus if he had had someone like Harry Kane involved.

Victor Osimhen is now on loan at Galatasaray

REUTERS

"So, yeah, Harry Kane was Erik's No.1 target. Erik really wanted him. Kolo Muani was also very high on that list. Victor Osimhen was also on that list. But I felt that if you're going to want to spend that kind of money – £100million-plus – then you want the complete package. And Harry Kane, for me, was the complete package.

"But unfortunately, the club didn't see it that way. They looked at it as Rasmus Hojlund in the long run would be a more prized asset than investing in both Rasmus and Harry Kane. So we stopped pursuing Kane and we ended up getting just Rasmus."

Kane has gone on to score 55 goals in 50 Bundesliga games for Bayern, while Hojlund has scored 23 times in 75 games for United.