Dion Dublin urges Manchester United to pay £80m for Harry Kane despite striker turning 33

Dion Dublin has urged Manchester United to spend up to £80 million on Harry Kane, insisting the Bayern Munich striker’s age should not deter his former club from pursuing one of the most reliable goalscorers in world football.

Kane, who turns 34 later this year, is in the final year of his contract at Bayern after joining the German club in 2023 for just under £100 million. He has since scored 152 goals in 154 appearances, a return that was underlined during the recent international break when he netted six times in four games for England.

“Even at 33, 34, 35, I’d still nick Harry for a year or two because he just finds his way into good positions,” Dublin said. “You put the ball there and he doesn’t even have to run about as much. You can see he’s dropping into the number 10 role a bit more, sometimes even into the four, and spraying balls about so he’s not easy to mark.”

Dublin was unequivocal about Kane’s standing in the game. “Every club in the Premier League would take him right now, 100 per cent,” he said. “Who can you guarantee for goals? Haaland, Kane, Lewandowski, Mbappé — and then you start to struggle a bit for guaranteed scorers. Harry Kane guarantees you goals.”

His call comes with United’s striking options under scrutiny. £74 million signing Benjamin Sesko has shown promise under Michael Carrick but has been hampered by injury, while Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Marcus Rashford have each been used as makeshift centre-forwards.

The prospect of United signing a high-profile striker in his thirties carries uncomfortable echoes. Zlatan Ibrahimović, Edinson Cavani, and Cristiano Ronaldo — on his second spell at Old Trafford — all arrived past their peaks, with mixed results. Dublin acknowledged the hesitation but dismissed it.

“United have toyed with it, they’ve spoken about it too much,” he said. “If you want him, go get him. Even if he signs a new deal there, give them the £70m or £80m, whatever they want, because you’ve got to get goals.”

Kane, who has been linked with United for several years, remains in contention for the Ballon d’Or and is widely considered to still be operating at the height of his powers — a fact that both strengthens Dublin’s case and raises the stakes of any potential move.