• Manchester United will try to tempt Tottenham Hotspur to take Anthony Martial in an effort to lower the cost of any Harry Kane transfer

The Red Devils look in urgent need of a makeover up front, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking past his best, while Edinson Cavani is set to be out of contract in the summer.

In that regard, there would not be many better players available than Harry Kane. The England captain is in the prime of his career at 28 years old and has shaken off a tough start to the season to recently rediscover his best form.

Last year, he indicated an interest in exploring his options away from Tottenham Hotspur. At the time, Manchester City were his main suitors, but they couldn’t meet the asking price.

Tottenham’s demands for Kane will remain high this summer, despite him entering the final two years of his contract. This time around, Spurs may have to fend off interest from Manchester United.

Martial has struggled for form at Man Utd and is now out on loan at Sevilla, though he could be on offer to Spurs as part of a deal for Kane.

The Frenchman has been targeted by Tottenham in the past and Man Utd have not forgotten about it. Therefore, they could try to use Martial in a part-exchange offer for Kane. Though the major stumbling block now to the swap is that the player himself is thought to prefer a move to Spain or Italy next.

Martial’s value will be lower than Kane’s, so United would still need to spend big. But they could reduce their net outlay by overseeing two operations at the same time.

In truth, United would struggled to persuade Spurs to accept the swap deal proposal anyway.

Martial may be a talented player on his day, but he’s been far too inconsistent in his time at Old Trafford and looks like nowhere near enough to help Spurs make up for the potential loss of an elite goal-scorer like Kane.

Martial can operate in a centre-forward position or out wide. He would be an interesting player for them to work with, but not necessarily a direct replacement for their number 10.

However, the 26-year-old may overlook Tottenham as a potential next club anyway. The report also reveals he would prefer to join a club in La Liga or Serie A if he is to leave Man Utd permanently in the summer.

But his future is in United’s hands. Therefore, they could wait to see if the chance of using him to their advantage in the pursuit of Kane can pay off.