Manchester United are keeping tabs on Brentford’s Ivan Toney, according to The Athletic reporter Laurie Whitwell.
The journalist is usually pretty reliable when it comes to the Red Devils and he claims that the club will be “watching” the 27-year-old’s games between now and the end of the season.
Toney has just returned from a lengthy ban for betting infringements, but he was back on the scoresheet against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Having also scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, the England international could be an excellent addition to United’s squad if they can match the player’s asking price.
Why United won’t make a move for Toney this month
Whitwell has revealed that Erik ten Hag’s side are “severely restricted” by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules so even bringing in a forward on loan has been ruled out.
With Anthony Martial sidelined for a number of months due to injury, it had been suggested that the Red Devils would go into the market, with the likes of Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema and Newcastle’s Callum Wilson having been linked. However, the money simply isn’t there to make those kinds of deals happen in January.
There will be rivals for Toney’s signature
If United do table a bid for Toney, it will be in the summer when there is likely to be a lot more competition for his services. He will have less than 12 months left on his contract by then, and Brentford won’t be able to demand the £80m to £100m they are asking for at the moment.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are also keen on Toney so United would have to put forward a pretty strong case to the player that a switch to Old Trafford is the right one for him.
