MANCHESTER UNITED have given Erik ten Hag the green light to bid £80million for Harry Kane, according to reports.
And they want to wrap up a deal to sign the England captain before the end of the season.
The Tottenham striker, 29, is a long-term target for the Red Devils who desperately want a new No9 this summer after axing Cristiano Ronaldo.
SunSport revealed earlier in March that the Old Trafford club are confident they will land Kane this summer if Tottenham miss out on the top four and the Champions League.
Spurs have been holding out for £100m for their new record goalscorer – but United hope they will accept an offer below that.
Now the Mirror report the Red Devils board have sanctioned an £80m opening offer for their priority transfer target.
It is thought Ten Hag implored his seniors to stump up the cash because he is desperate to secure the striker to transform his side into genuine title contenders and therefore wants to open talks as soon as possible.
Kane is wanted by plenty of Europe’s top clubs including Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Chelsea – but the report adds his preferred destination is Old Trafford.
His current £200,000-a-week contract at Tottenham expires in 2024 and he needs to make a decision on his future as his long wait for a trophy goes on.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy understandably wants Kane to stay but knows he must make a shrewd managerial appointment to replace Antonio Conte and convince Kane the North Londoners can fight for silverware.
United made contact with Kane’s camp through a third party and were encouraged by the response.
Kane said in January that there had “not been much talking” with Spurs over a new contract but he was “sure there will be conversations over the coming months”.
Champions Manchester City are no longer in the running, having failed to land the striker in 2021 as they were quoted a whopping £150m by Levy.
Now the Spurs chief is set to have to settle for far less than that – or else he risks losing Kane for nothing next year.
On the international stage, Kane became England’s all-time record goalscorer with his penalty against Italy last week.
And he took his tally to 55 against Ukraine on Sunday.
