"Crying out for a striker" - Pundit labels 29-year-old star as 'big name' player Manchester United need to sign to challenge for PL

Pundit Frank McAvennie believes Manchester United should sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane as he can help them compete for trophies.

The Red Devils need a striker this summer. After Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in November last year, they were left with an injury-prone Anthony Martial. The Frenchman made just 29 appearances across competitions, scoring nine goals.

Manchester United brought in Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan from Burnley but the Dutchman only scored two goals in 31 appearances across competitions.

The Red Devils have been linked with a number of strikers, including Harry Kane, this summer. However, negotiations could prove to be difficult with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy unwilling to sell the club's talisman.

Frank McAvennie, however, believes that Manchester United need to sign a big-name striker like Kane this summer to compete for titles. In an interview with Football Insider, he said:

"I do not know who they are going to get. Daniel is not going to sell that is for sure. If Kane went to Man United that is the difference between them challenging and not challenging, for me he is that good."

He added:

"United are crying out for a striker. The last one they had was [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic. Man United need a big name and Kane is that name. When you walk in the door at Man United they demand success. You have got to win and it is a demand that some people can’t handle so they need a big player to come in and Kane is the guy."

Kane, 29, is Tottenham and England's all-time top scorer with 280 and 58 goals, respectively. He is also just 47 goals behind Alan Shearer in the list of Premier League's all-time top scorers.

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Manchester United preparing second bid for Rasmus Hojlund: Reports

As per The Sun, Manchester United are preparing a second bid worth £40 million for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund after their first bid worth £30 million was rejected.

The Red Devils were interested in signing Harry Kane early on in the summer but Tottenham consider him unsellable. They then monitored Victor Osimhen but Napoli are demanding £150 million for the Nigerian striker.

Due to financial fair play issues, Manchester United only had a budget of £120 million, barring sales, this summer. They are set to sign Mason Mount for £55 million and need to sign a goalkeeper and a striker in the remaining budget.

They are hoping to bring in Hojlund at a bargain price despite his current contract being valid until 2027. The Danish striker scored 16 goals and provided seven assists in 42 games across competitions for Atalanta last season.