Manchester United are among those in the race for Harry Kane’s signature after he signalled his desire to leave Tottenham.
The striker is seeking pastures new this summer as he looks to add silverware to his impressive CV.
Manchester City have also been touted as a possible destination and they, along with Chelsea, have reportedly made contact with the player’s representatives.
United though have a long history of poaching strikers from their domestic rivals.
Sir Alex Ferguson on numerous occasions raided fellow Premier League clubs to bolster his forward ranks.
That could again be on the agenda as Kane weighs up his options ahead of Euro 2020.
We take a look at five time United stole a march on their rivals by adding a prolific marksman.
Andy Cole
(Image: Reuters)
The young English striker had just scored 41 for a Newcastle side in their first top flight season under Kevin Keegan.
Next season the Magpies were looking to mount a title charge and Cole had scored 15 times in all competitions by the New Year.
Ferguson though pounced on January 15 in what was a huge shock. United secured Cole’s services in a £7m deal that angered Newcastle fans.
The image of Keegan sat on the St James’ Park steps trying to explain the decision remains iconic.
Cole would go on to score 121 times for the Red Devils, winning five league titles.
Teddy Sheringham
United swooping in to steal a Tottenham striker is nothing new in the Premier League era.
Sheringham was signed as a replacement for Eric Cantona in a £3.5m deal in 1997.
In north London the forward had been prolific and United were only too happy to have him on board.
He scored a famous goal in the 1999 Champions League Final before he eventually returned to Tottenham in 2001.
United though had enjoyed Sheringham at his peak.
Dwight Yorke
The Trinidadian formed a memorable partnership with Cole during his time at Old Trafford.
An upwardly mobile Aston Villa side had seen Yorke impress in attack, scoring 61 times in three years.
In 1998 though United cashed in and signed the striker for £12.6m as Yorke made it clear he wanted to move to Old Trafford.
Villa tried to secure a swap deal with Cole, but were knocked back.
Then Villa boss John Gregory famously said he would have shot Yorke if he had had a gun in his office when he told him he wanted to leave.
Dimitar Berbatov
(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Another Tottenham striker who moved to United. Fans in north London will be hoping lightning does not strike for a third time this summer.
Berbatov made it clear he wanted to secure a move to Old Trafford having impressed in England following his switch from Bayer Leverkusen.
Ferguson would later say that dealing with Daniel Levy was more painful than his hip replacement.
At the eleventh hour though United got their man and the Bulgarian would go on to win two league titles and won the Golden Boot in 2011.
Robin van Persie
(Image: PA)
Another north London to Manchester switch, albeit this one involved Arsenal not Tottenham.
This was the most recent case of United and City going for the same player.
Van Persie had been a class act for the Gunners but with his contract winding down they were forced into selling.
The Dutchman would help United wrestle back the league title in 2013, scoring 26 times before Ferguson called it a day in Manchester.
City paid the price for losing out on the player and United fans will hope for a sense of positive deja vu.
