Toney replacement signed! Brentford deal will delight Arsenal and Man Utd

Tom Weber

• Updated: 14 Feb 2024 20:43 GMT
• 3 min read

Brentford have already signed their Ivan Toney replacement for the summer.

The Bees' star striker is expected to depart the club in the next transfer window. Already heavily linked with an exit in January, Brentford made sure to price any suitors out of a move in order to keep Toney for the remainder of the season in their bid to remain in the Premier League.

It will be a different story in the summer, however. The 27-year-old is desperate to join a 'top club' and is only under contract until 2025, meaning that Brentford will need to cash in on him sooner rather than later. Arsenal, Man Utd and Tottenham are expected to be the clubs fighting it out for his signature, with Chelsea likely focusing on Victor Osimhen instead.

Now, Toney has seemingly inched closer to a definite departure in light of Brentford announcing the big-money acquisition of a new striker for the summer.

Brentford sign Thiago

The Bees have announced the signing of Igor Thiago from Club Brugge for a club-record fee believed to be around €33 million. This is a clear statement of intent from the club and arguably the biggest tangible piece of evidence yet that Toney is on his way out, which had already been all but confirmed by head coach Thomas Frank.

Thiago has been in spectacular form in Belgium this term, with the towering Brazilian netting an absurd 26 goals and four assists in 40 games so far in 2023/24. According to Fabrizio Romano, his former club Ludogorets are entitled to a sizeable percentage of the transfer fee he has generated.

The 22-year-old has signed a five-year deal, with coach Frank saying of the transfer: "I’m very pleased that we have been proactive as a club. We are ahead of the curve. We have signed a key player for a key position. Thiago is a very exciting striker who fits the role in our team. There’s big potential."