Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea make decision on signing Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney
A significant development...
Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all indicated to Brentford that they are no longer interested in signing Ivan Toney this summer, reports say.
Toney has been linked with moves to some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League since returning from his eight-month betting ban.
The 28-year-old failed to rediscover his top goalscoring form following the long lay-off but made a couple of crucial contributions during England’s run to the Euro 2024 final, assisting Harry Kane for the extra-time winner against Slovakia and then scoring a penalty in the shootout win over Switzerland.
Toney has repeatedly hinted he is keen to secure a big-money move away from Brentford but three potential suitors have all pulled out of the race, according to The Sun.
It is claimed Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all made it clear they will not be submitting offers for Toney, who has scored 72 goals in 141 games for Brentford.
The west London outfit valued Toney at more than £70m this time last year but a lack of interest has seen that figure drop to around £50m.
London rivals Tottenham and West Ham remain interested in Toney, who came on for the final few minutes of England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Arsenal and Chelsea could yet bring in some new attacking talent this summer but are believed to be looking at players with different profiles to Toney.
United’s need for attacking reinforcements has decreased after they completed a £36.5m deal for Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee.
But ex-Old Trafford star Paul Ince wants United to bring in another ‘top striker’ and named Toney as a player he would love to see arrive through the doors.
‘They’ve got to strengthen a lot this summer,’ he told Ladbrokes. ‘When you look at a team before pre-season starts, and you start identifying where you might want to strengthen, you don’t want to make wholesale changes.
‘You know, you want to keep the core of the team. But when you look at Manchester United, they need at least seven players, arguably in the starting XI.
‘Raphael Varane is gone now, Lisandro Martinez has been injured pretty much all season, so there’s an issue there; can he compete for 40 or more games per season?
‘We’ve got Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who we’re trying to sell. Luke Shaw has spent a lot of time out. Casemiro is going to move on, and we still haven’t found that holding number six.
‘Antony hasn’t been performing, so do you get someone in to replace him? Marcus Rashford hasn’t been at his best, and Rasmus Hojlund is still a young striker. That’s so many areas of the pitch you would say need improving.
‘I think that’s what we need to get; a top, top striker, like an Ollie Watkins, like an Ivan Toney. Someone like that, who knows the league, to play up-front, and let Hojlund take his time and settle in.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
What's Your Reaction?