ESPN has reported that Manchester United have a ‘particular interest’ in signing Ivan Toney and a deal will cost at least £50m for the Brentford hitman this summer.
With Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford now secured for the foreseeable future, Man United can start planning their transfer activities accordingly and signing a striker is very much on the cards.
Anthony Martial left as a free agent at the end of last season and Benjamin Sesko decided to stay at RB Leipzig, forcing United to look at other options, ESPN has confirmed.
The report says Man Utd have now identified Toney as a prime target and the Brentford striker is of ‘particular interest’ as he’s about to enter the final year of his contract.
ESPN claims that Brentford will demand at least £50m for the England international, while Untied have also added added Jonathan David and Joshua Zirkzee to their wish-list as they look to bring in a back-up for Rasmus Hojlund.
David’s price tag is not clear yet but Zirkzee has a release clause in his Bologna contract which amounts to £34 million, with Arsenal also interested in the former Bayern Munich forward.
Toney better suited for Manchester United
Manchester United already have a young striker in Hojlund who is more of a long-term option, so it is imperative that they focus on adding in a proven name to the roster.
Toney, although slightly more expensive than David and Zirkzee, would be a better option given that he has good experience in the Premier League and has emerged as one of England’s best strikers.
Even after missing a significant portion of the 2023/24 season due to a suspension as a result of gambling activities, Toney returned to familiar form for Thomas Frank’s men earlier this year.
He ended the Premier League season with four goals and two assists to his name in 17 appearances, whilst quickly regaining his place back in the Brentford line-up after his ban was served.
Toney is aged 28 and still has a large chunk of football ahead of him. United’s only drawback in his pursuit would be when discussing the kind of role Toney would play in the team.
Ten Hag would have a difficult task at hand if he has to keep Hojlund as well as Toney happy as both players would expect themselves to play regularly in the starting line-up.
Time will tell what Manchester United’s plan is for the strike position, but negotiations for Toney would need to wait until his commitment at Euro 2024 with the English national side comes to an end.
