Three Harry Kane alternatives Man City must consider

Manchester City have been chasing the signature of Harry Kane all summer, yet they faced a Tottenham Hotspur side without him and lost 1-0 in their opening game of the new Premier League season on Sunday.

harry kane manchester city

Harry Kane, 28, made his intentions clear of leaving Tottenham Hotspur this summer for a new challenge amidst chronic underachievement and turmoil.

For Manchester City, they lost Sergio Aguero on a free transfer to Barcelona in July, meaning there’s a huge void that needs to be filled in the squad. And City’s chase for a striker to replace Aguero was further documented in their 1-0 loss to Tottenham last weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s club has already seen a £100 million bid for Kane rejected by Tottenham, with chairman Daniel Levy determined to keep his star man at the club this season. As per the latest reports by The Independent, Manchester City are ready to go as far as £150 million to tempt Levy and Tottenham on the negotiating table.

But with less than two weeks left for the transfer window to slam shut and new Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo very much considering Kane in his plans moving forward, the Cityzens could be forced to look at alternatives. Here are three Kane alternatives the defending Premier League champions must consider.

1. Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina)

Last season, Dusan Vlahovic enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Fiorentina, netting 21 Serie A goals in 37 appearances. He already has started the new season strongly and bagged two goals from a single Coppa Italia game against Cosenza.

dusan-vlahovic-could-join-manchester-city

The Serbian international that combines physical traits and technical skills with quick feet and a keen eye for goal is exactly what Manchester City need up front. At 21, the supremely talented Vlahovic isn’t a finished product in any case and could unlock his true potential under the watchful eyes of Guardiola.

However, City will certainly have to pay a premium to Fiorentina for their star striker’s signature.

2. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Lautaro Martinez joined Inter Milan from Racing Santander in July 2018 and has gone onto establish himself as one of the lethal strikers in Europe.

Inter's Lautaro Martinez
Image source: sempreinter.com

The Argentinean, along with Romelu Lukaku, who re-signed for Chelsea last week, fired Inter Milan to the Serie A title last season. Martinez, 23, netted 17 goals and notched up 10 assists in 38 appearances to help Inter end Juventus’ decade-long dominance in Italy.

The Nerazzurri star fits the mould of a striker Guardiola wants at City; he offers pace, trickery and incisiveness in the attack. There is no doubting that Martinez is a talented striker and at 23 he still has time to develop.

Truly, the Argentinean international, who won the Copa America earlier this summer, could be the long-term answer up front for the Cityzens.

3. Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad)

Alexander Isak failed to cut the mustard with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga but he’s proven his doubters wrong in LaLiga, scoring 16 and 17 goals respectively in the last two seasons for Real Sociedad. He further enhanced his reputation as a promising young striker with an eye-catching showing at Euro 2020 with Sweden.

Isak has been one of LaLiga’s most prolific marksmen over the last couple of years, and the hype is only growing bigger. At just 21-year-old, the Swede has plenty of growing room, while he certainly fits the bill of a striker who has the technical ability to drop deep, link play and draw the centre-backs out to create space in behind for runners.

Pep Guardiola’s tactics and the system would fit the young Isak’s playing style and he could flourish under him at City.

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