Fabrizio Romano reveals what Man Utd will do once star who Jim Ratcliffe is "big fan of" becomes available for £53m

Manchester United’s January transfer window was dominated by exits rather than incomings but Ruben Amorim was still able to add a handful of players to his squad.

Patrick Dorgu arrived on a deal from Serie A side Lecce while Ayden Heaven joined from Premier League rivals Arsenal. Both players are defenders with Amorim keen on adding a striker. United had been interested in Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku before he opted to remain at Stamford Bridge while Mathys Tel was another target. The Frenchman had initially rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur as he held out for United but he u-turned on his decision and headed to North London on loan on deadline day.

One striker United have long been linked with is Harry Kane. It emerged last week the England international was available for £66m in January but no club made a move for the Bayern Munich star with that price not available in the summer window.

Fabrizio Romano discusses United’s stance on Kane

Kane has scored 72 goals in 73 games since joining Bayern 18 months ago. He has netted 379 goals at club level during his career and there are now reports he will be available for £53m in January 2026 once a second release clause becomes active. United were interested in the striker when he was leaving Tottenham Hotspur but owner Daniel Levy would not do business with a Premier League rival. However, the Reds Devils are likely to pass up on the chance to sign Kane even when a second release clause becomes active.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano wrote on GiveMeSport: “Harry Kane also had a ‘secret’ release clause in his contract – last month. Yes, as a deal for €80m was available in January and not valid in the summer, but there was not even one single contact with Premier League clubs. However, there’s one more clause for next year, which is only available in January 2026 and worth €65m.”

On if United would make a move, he added: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to be a big fan of Harry Kane, but the Manchester United project is going in a different direction, trusting young players, reducing salaries and following different principles, so there’s nothing really concrete in this rumour despite recent reports. Don’t forget about Tottenham, as they have matching rights for Harry Kane. At any moment, if Bayern receive a bid, Spurs will be informed and can match the proposal to bring Kane back – if they want to.”

Ratcliffe has already outlined transfer method

After purchasing his minority stake in United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he would like to change how the club conducts its transfer business: "I think in a way what I would rather do is try to sign the next Mbappé than spend a fortune trying to buy success. It's not that clever buying Mbappé, anyone can figure that one out. What's much more challenging is to find the next Mbappé or [Jude] Bellingham or Roy Keane.

"The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that if you look at what they've done the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players. The first thing you need to do is get the right people in the right boxes managing the club and make sure we get recruitment right, that's such a vital part of a football club, getting recruitment right."

In other news, United are ‘keeping an eye’ on former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz at Juventus ahead of the summer.