West Ham incredibly burst past Man Utd, Tottenham in chase for lethal Prem star

There has been a major development in the race for Ivan Toney, with West Ham United reportedly the favourites despite interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Toney established himself as one of the best centre-forwards in England last season, notching 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances. But his chances of securing a big transfer last summer were ruined by an eight-month betting ban, which lasted from May 2023 to January 2024.

Since returning for Brentford, Toney has managed four goals and one assist in 11 matches.

During the 1-1 home draw with Man Utd on Saturday night, Toney was one of several Brentford players to hit the woodwork. Although, the England star did manage to register his first assist of the campaign.

After Mason Mount’s first Man Utd goal had given Erik ten Hag’s side the lead deep into injury time, Toney showed great composure in the box to set up Kristoffer Ajer for a dramatic late equaliser.

There has been plenty of talk about Toney’s future in recent weeks, with Arsenal cooling their interest and allowing other clubs to take centre stage in the transfer pursuit.

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Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein have both predicted Man Utd to launch offers for the 28-year-old, though West Ham joined the race last weekend. Tottenham are also firmly in the mix.

As per an update from Football Insider, West Ham have remarkably pushed themselves to the front of the queue for Toney and are now ‘in pole position’ for what would be a ‘statement signing’.

Ivan Toney to West Ham would be ‘statement signing’

Reporter Pete O’Rourke added: “There’s now a good chance that Ivan Toney could end up at West Ham. It would be a statement signing.

“We know they have been lacking a number nine for a couple of seasons now.

“There’s a lot of talk about Arsenal being interested in Toney but my understanding is that that their interest has cooled and they’re looking at other targets.”

Given the size of both Man Utd and Spurs, as well as their superior spending power, West Ham landing Toney first would be a very impressive feat.

Brentford technical director Lee Dykes is not shying away from the fact that Toney is well positioned to leave, either.

Prior to the clash against Man Utd, he said: “We’ve got to be honest like with David Raya. Toney’s got aspirations to play at a higher level, which is fine, but it’s got to be on Brentford’s terms.

“But there’s also a situation where Ivan stays at the club, and that’s what we all want.

“We want Ivan to stay at the club and play Premier League football for Brentford for years to come.”

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