Man Utd the ‘ones to watch’ in £70m race for 164-goal striker as Fabrizio Romano confirms transfer plan in place

Ivan Toney remains a player in huge demand this summer with both Chelsea and Arsenal hot on his trail, though Fabrizio Romano has now teased why Manchester United are the “ones to watch” as the race for the Brentford striker intensifies.

Toney has only recently returned to action following an eight-month suspension imposed by the FA for a breach of regulations. However, with his current deal due to expire at Brentford in summer 2025 and with elite strikers at a premium, interest in the player has never been higher.

And with all of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the market for a new centre forward this summer, the trio appear to be sniffing around many of the same, high-end targets.

Indeed, Toney has found himself at the centre of plenty of speculation with his manager at Brentford, Thomas Frank, effectively confirming his sale is expected this summer and even admitting it would be “fun” to see how the 28-year-old fares in another Premier League side.

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“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer,” Frank said.

“We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.

“He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team.”

To that end, both the Gunners and the Blues are widely expected to squabble it out over Toney, who has scored an impressive 164 goals in 401 appearances throughout his career.

Ivan Toney next club: Man Utd cannot be discounted

His strike-rate at Premier League even better, where he boasts 36 goals in 76 appearances – a notch every 2.1 outings.

That level of potency, together with the fact his contract will have just a year to run comes the summer, means a move away now looks increasingly likely for Toney, with the Bees likely to demand around £70m for his services.

Arsenal are perhaps the club most strongly linked, especially amid TEAMtalk’s revelation that Eddie Nketiah has been told he can leave this summer with a number of Premier League clubs hovering over a potential £40m deal.

However, strong reports in Italy on Monday claimed Arsenal were instead turning their focus towards Victor Osinhem and had a strong belief they can seal his signing for a fee of around €90m (£77.1m).

If that comes to fruition, the destiny of Toney may be about to take a sudden twist and transfer expert Romano has laid open that possibility in an interview with CaughtOffside and in which he suggests a move to Manchester United may be on the cards.

Discussing the striker’s next club and confirming that United talks are underway over signing a striker this summer, Romano said: “It’s just one of the options to be considered and discussed internally.

“As I said here multiple times, Man Utd are still in early stages of the process to decide which striker they want to sign; experienced or young. Talks are gonna take place internally, Toney will be one of the names available on the market so could be one to watch.”

Man Utd have big striker decision to make

In addition to Toney, United are also being strongly linked with a move for Joshua Zirkzee, who at 22, has emerged as a player of real talent for Bologna this season.

The scorer of 11 goals in 30 games so far, he would also cost a similar fee to Toney, but is both considerably younger and potentially has a nuch higher ceiling.

Where United go from here will be entirely down to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and incoming new sporting director Dan Ashworth and there is a school of thought that suggests they are more likely to sign upcoming talent, as opposed those which are already at their peak.

However, it’s a means to an end, with Ratcliffe wanting United to return to the elite as quickly as possible. With Rasmus Hojlund also proving his worth, though still himself very much a work in progress, maybe United would be more sensible spending the money on someone tried and tested at this level – exactly what Toney would be.

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