Ivan Toney ‘wants to join Manchester United’ amid reports claiming the Red Devils have put a ‘£30m offer on the table’ to sign the Al Ahli striker this summer.
The Red Devils have already secured the signing of Matheus Cunha to bolster Ruben Amorim’s attacking options after triggering his £62.5m release clause to sign him from Wolves and have been pushing to add Mbeumo to their ranks after the Frenchman’s 20 goals and eight assists in the Premier League last term.
Brentford rejected an opening bid of £45m plus £10m in add-ons from United and then knocked back an improved offer of £55m plus £7.5m in add-ons last week, but their remains optimism a deal can be completed for the Cameroon international amid reports the Bees are holding out for £65m.
But United are also keen on signing a new striker and although they have held ‘talks’ with Aston Villa over a move for Ollie Watkins, they aren’t in a position to pay his £60m asking price and a report last week claimed they’ve instead made a move for Toney.
The Al Ahli striker, who moved to the Saudi Pro League side from Brentford for £40m last summer, has ‘aroused interest’ at United as ‘they believe that his previous experience in the Premier League, his scoring sense and his physical strength make him a very valid bet to lead the attack’.
The report claimed that with his Transfermarkt value ‘dropping to £21m’, United have ‘put on the table an offer that could be very attractive of €30m [£26m] plus €5m [£4.3m] in add-ons’, with ‘first contacts made between the club’s and the player’s environment’.
And now Football Insider claim ‘Toney wants to join Manchester United’, with Mick Brown, who worked as a United scout for over a decade during the club’s most successful period and remains very well-connected there, revealing the Red Devils see him as a “definite upgrade on what they’ve got”.
“Toney is an interesting one for United,” he told Football Insider.
“Whatever you say about him, he’s got a proven track record of scoring goals in the Premier League.
“He’s gone out to Saudi Arabia and continued scoring goals.
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“Man United have been watching him, my sources tell me, and they think he is still capable of playing at the top level, plus he’s not even 30 yet so he’s got years left in him.
“He’s one they’ve liked for a while, even when he was at Brentford, so it might be a surprise to see them interested again but there aren’t a lot of strikers of his level available.
“From what I’m told, he would be interested in a return to the Premier League.
“He might have to take a cut from what he’s getting paid out there, but he wants to play at the highest level and United could give him that chance.
“They see him as a definite upgrade on what they’ve got, so it’s a possibility.”
