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Manchester United are reportedly among a number of top Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
It’s thought that Erik ten Hag wants to bolster his options in the attacking department in addition to securing the services of an experienced striker to share some of the goalscoring burden currently on the shoulders of Rasmus Hojlund.
Some of the players United have been linked with include Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna), Brian Brobbey (Ajax), Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) and Mauro Icardi (Galatasaray), just to mention a few names.
A previous report covered by The Peoples Person suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – who is closing in on the ratification of his partial investment into United – is keen to implement a British transfer policy that focuses on signing proven homegrown stars.
It was relayed that the likes of Toney and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi perfectly fit this profile.
Journalist Dean Jones gave an update on Toney’s transfer situation and indicated that in addition to United, he is being pursued by clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Jones suggested that while there have been suggestions the Brentford man could sign a new deal to extend his stay with the Bees, such an action has been put on pause for the moment.
He told GIVEMESPORT, “The first thing to look for with Toney is whether or not he does actually sign a new contract. There’s been a lot of talk around it. But so far, there’s nothing in place for him to actually do that. ”
“And then all the talk around the new contract was that would include a release clause, which would need to be triggered in the summer for somebody to sign him. Now at the moment with that not in place, it obviously seems more feasible that Toney is attainable in the summer.”
Jones added, “I think there are a lot of clubs that genuinely are looking at Toney, I think that Arsenal and Chelsea are the two main ones. In the background, Tottenham and even Manchester United are having a look just in case the situation could change in a way that suits them.”
Toney is of course set to make his long-awaited return to competitive action during Brentford’s clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The 27-year-old missed eight months (259 days) of football while serving a ban for betting.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank on Friday morning confirmed that Toney will lead his side out against Forest in the absence of injured regular captain Christian Norgaard.
The United target recently spoke to Sky Sports and spoke about his future. He refused to definitively rule out an exit from the Gtech Community Stadium as he admitted he would love to play for a big club.
The talisman said, “You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere, but I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club. Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”
It’s believed that Brentford want a sum of £100m to part with Toney’s services – a figure that is definitely out of United’s reach, at least in January.
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