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Manchester United’s struggles up front have been well documented and manager Erik ten Hag has placed a striker on top of his transfer priority list.
As per most reports, the race to land at Old Trafford seems to be mainly between Tottenham talisman Harry Kane and Serie A top-scorer Victor Osimhen of Napoli.
The duo are expected to cost well above €100 million and both clubs are notorious for the their transfer dealings and it will not be easy or cheap to prise either away in the summer.
Toney has impressed in the PL this season
But there are complications regarding the club’s takeover and the eventual transfer budget that will be available for use. Add to it the need to sell well due to FFP restrictions and United will be required to keep backup options ready.
According to Football Insider, Brentford’s Ivan Toney is one such player that the Red Devils have looked at during the course of the season and are willing to sanction a deal for.
The Bees hit-man has notched 20 goals and five assists in 32 games across all competitions.
Toney has 19 goals in the Premier League, which places him in third place behind Harry Kane and Erling Haaland for the Premier League Golden Boot.
The Red Devils “are big admirers” of the England international but are cautious about the whole deal due to the gambling investigations running in the background.
“Brentford have placed a £50million asking price for Toney ahead of the summer transfer window, and United would be tempted to match that fee had it not been for the ongoing investigation.
Gambling investigation could put off United
“The Manchester club have been closely monitoring his availability but are extremely cautious about submitting a bid while his gambling investigation rumbles on in the background,” the report mentioned.
The FA had filed 262 charges against the striker back in November after finding breaches in their football betting regulations. Toney has since gone on to accept many of the charges and if implicated, could face a lengthy ban.
United do not want to sanction a big-money deal and then miss his services due to the ban.
Chelsea and Newcastle were also said to be in the race and it will be interesting to see how this saga plays out. Toney’s performance definitely merits a move to a big club but a lot will depend on how the investigation unfolds.
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