Ivan Toney has recently entered the final year of his contract at Brentford, casting doubt over his future
Arsenal have already given Manchester United the blueprint to signing Ivan Toney. The 28-year-old striker faces an increasingly uncertain future at the G-Tech Community Stadium, with his Brentford contract set to expire next year.
Last season, Toney featured 17 times in the Premier League, scoring four goals. Playing a key role in Thomas Frank’s side, the England international helped the Bees finish 13 points adrift of the drop zone.
Despite struggling to find the net towards the end of the campaign, he still managed to impress, earning a place in the England squad at Euro 2024. In the opening seconds of extra-time in the round of 16, Toney provided a crucial assist to give the Three Lions the lead over Slovakia.
Following the European championships in Germany, the Brentford ace continued to be linked with an exit – but he’s yet to find a new club. Manchester United were mooted as a potential destination, but the club have since forked out over £150m on other signings.
The Red Devils kicked off the summer by welcoming Joshua Zirkzee to Old Trafford before wrapping up a deal for Leny Yoro. Then, a month or so later, Dan Ashworth signed Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.
If the sporting director doesn’t fancy spending anymore money this summer then he can always take a leaf out of Edu’s book at the Emirates Stadium. According to sister-site football.london, Arsenal only paid £3m to sign David Raya from the Bees on a season-long loan last summer.
The Gunners negotiated the right to secure the goalkeeper’s services on a permanent basis for a further £27m the following year. Last month, the Arsenal sporting director activated the clause, tying Raya down to a long-term deal.
As a result, the lump sum went down in the north Londoners’ books 12 months after actually bring the Spaniard to the club – so United could follow a similar plan to sign Toney. In a recent interview with SportsBoom.com, United great Brian McClair suggested a move for Toney could give his old club an edge. “I think they’d benefit from signing Ivan Toney,” he said.
“Maybe they’d benefit from a player who is slightly different like him – and he’s only got a year left on his contract. “The biggest problem for United is scoring goals. Getting him would provide good competition, for me that’s always the best thing. It sharpens your all-round performances and your desire to stay in the team when you’re playing.
“You only have to look at how many goals they scored last year, it’s very low. Maybe even the converting chances per goal percentage is really low also. And from what I can see, with Hojlund injured they don’t have a number nine.”
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