- 7 hours ago
Man Utd sent Ivan Toney warning by Brentford boss
Manchester United have been sent a transfer warning over Ivan Toney via Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
Man Utd are seeking an option in attack to help Rasmus Hojlund, with England forward Toney one of their leading options, despite the fact that 28-year-old has failed to score a competitive goal since mid-February.
The former Newcastle player is widely considered to be on the transfer market because he now has less than a year left on his Brentford contract, with the London club unlikely to be willing to let him depart as a free agent next July.
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Frank, nevertheless, has told Man Utd to expect significant resistance from Brentford over a player widely considered to be their best.
“He’s a Brentford player and I would love him to stay. That would give me a very positive challenge,” the Dane told Sky Sports.
“But I haven’t met a coach who doesn’t want as many good players as possible. Right now, Ivan is a Brentford player. I know he’s enjoying his well-deserved time off after his time with England.
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“I would be more than happy if he stayed with us. He’s a goalscorer and that’s very good to have in your team so if you want to buy him, it’s expensive.”
Chelsea and Tottenham are also linked with the forward, who impressed off the bench with England at Euro 2024.
How much is too much?
Brentford wanted upwards of €118 million (£100m) for the striker during the January transfer window, when the likes of Arsenal were also involved in the race for him. The Bees’ asking price was enough to put the Gunners, Chelsea and Man Utd off at that point.
Toney’s asking price has dropped significantly, with The Sun reporting on 18 July that Brentford are now seeking less than €60m for the player.
FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) suggests that even at this price, Toney would be expensive. He is worth just €16.1m.
Toney’s is a unique case, though. He was banned from playing Premier League football for the first five months of last season, which has artificially dragged his value down to a lower value than might be expected.
Nevertheless, the Man Utd target has a career-high valuation of €36.5m.