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Manchester United could take a surprise lead in the race for highly sought-after Benford striker Ivan Toney, as The Sun reports.
As The Sun reports, rival clubs in Chelsea and Arsenal are put off by Brentford’s asking price, which puts United in the during seat.
Ben Jacobs reports that Brentford will likely ask for the £80million price tag for the recently debuted Three Lions striker. This coupled with his age is off-putting to the London clubs who were after him, according to this report.
United have been interested in Toney since January, as he fits the profile of what they are looking for in a striker: an experienced striker who could partner Hojlund, assisting in his development and alleviating the pressure off him.
The 28-year-old Brentford striker has scored four goals in 11 Premier League games since returning from an eight-month ban for breaching the Football Association’s gambling laws.
Since firing the Bees to promotion in May 2021, Toney has scored 36 goals in 77 Premier League outings.
Ben Jacobs while speaking on this did give his two pennies on United signing Toney.
“If they go down the more experienced line, we can also potentially keep an eye out for Ivan Toney. Victor Osimhen is also a historical target for Manchester United. They tried for him when he was still at Lille,” Jacobs said.
Toney was a thorn in United’s side at the Gtech Community Stadium last Saturday as he laid on a stoppage-time assist for Kristoffer Ajer to equalize against the Reds.
According to this report, Arsenal would prefer to bring in a younger profile of striker and may launch a bid for Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres this summer.
Should Arsenal, Chelsea or United opt not to pay the £80m for Toney this summer, he could wait until his contract expires in 2025 and move as a free agent.
