Man Utd transfer update: Ten Hag ‘targeting Toney’ as Ratcliffe sets price
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Ivan Toney is set to leave Brentford this summer. Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly very keen on landing an elite striker in the summer and is eyeing up Brentford’s Ivan Toney to fit that bill.
The Red Devils brought in Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta at the beginning of the season but are already considering adding further firepower to Ten Hag’s arsenal. Several top Premier League clubs hold an interest in Toney, with United set to compete with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham as they hope to prise him out of London.
But Brentford’s £100 million valuation may prove to be a stumbling block for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. However, he believes that the 27-year-old is being overvalued and would consider a deal closer to £70 million.
The Brit is also keen to avoid a bidding war for Toney’s services. Toney’s lack of experience playing in Europe is a factor in Ratcliffe being disinterested at £100 million, while being aware that if the striker completes a four or five-year contract at Old Trafford he would have little re-sale value into his thirties.
Toney reiterated his desire to play for a club “competing for trophies” last month after returning from an eight-month ban after breaching the FA’s betting rules. “Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles.
Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows? But my main focus is to do what I do on the pitch, and let the background work take care of itself.”
However, with Hojlund continuing to emerge as a top-level striker and Ratcliffe’s unwillingness to match Brentford’s asking price, that opportunity for Toney may not be at Old Trafford. United, hampered by financial restrictions, may decide to use their funds elsewhere even at the risk of upsetting Ten Hag after making his view clear on wanting to recruit Toney.
