Manchester United will reportedly keep tabs on Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer after a whole host of Premier League teams have stated an interested in the 26-year-old. The Mirror has reported that Newcastle United, West Ham United and Leeds United are all interested.
Last season the 26-year-old made 37 appearances for Brentford, scoring 14 goals and six assists in all competitions. With Cristiano Ronaldo seeking an exit from United this summer, Erik ten Hag will need to sign a new striker so therefore they are keeping an eye on the situation.
Anthony Martial has started well in United’s pre-season tour scoring two goals in two matches against both Liverpool and Melbourne Victory – United will face Crystal Palace in Melbourne on Tuesday. United may well decide to not get involved in the Toney situation.
It is suggested that Newcastle are seeking both a striker and a winger this summer and seem to have baulked at prices they have been quoted for players they have held an interest in. I guess that is what happens when the club is owned by one of the richest families in the world.
Brentford will be reluctant to sell Toney so if that happens, it would probably need to be down to the player to force a move and a massive fee being paid for the forward. That said, United would probably not want to get into a bidding situation, instead preferring to opt for an easier target.
It could well be that Ronaldo remains at United for the final year of his contract at the club being that there are no real options for him at this time – although Atletico Madrid have been suggested as possible destination. The coming weeks will tell what is going to happen there.
Toney would be an great option should United need to replace the Portuguese forward this summer and he would link up well with new United signing Christian Eriksen, who was confirmed by the club on Friday – being that he spent the second half of the season at Brentford.
Toney started out at Northampton Town as a youth player, making the first team in 2012. He made a total of 60 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals and six assists. He then signed for Newcastle United and had loan spells with Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Scunthorpe and Wigan.
He signed for Peterborough United in 2018, making 94 appearances and scoring 49 goals and 15 assists before he signed for Brentford in the summer of 2020 in a £5 million deal with £10 million in add-ons. He has made 89 appearances, scoring 47 goals and 16 assists to date.
Written by John Walker
