Finding a strike partner for Rasmus Hojlund will be key for Manchester United this summer after the Dane hardly got any support in his debut season.
Manager Erik ten Hag had to keep playing him as Anthony Martial was perennially injured while Marcus Rashford suffered a dramatic drop-off in form.
The former Atalanta starlet looked overworked but still emerged as the club’s top scorer with 16 goals and the only the second player in the team to breach the double digit mark for goals scored in the Premier League.
The Dutch boss had asked for reinforcements last summer as well as in January but the Glazers failed to back him. New co-owners INEOS are unlikely to repeat that mistake.
Striker hunt on
However, finding the right partner will be crucial so as to not stunt the Denmark international’s growth and recently, doubts emerged regarding the signing of Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna.
The Red Devils have also been linked with Ivan Toney of Brentford, currently part of the England Euros squad. He had scored 20 goals two seasons ago while last season, he managed four goals in 17 games.
The England international has one year left in his current Bees contract and Thomas Frank’s side have slapped a £60 million price tag on their frontman.
Quite a few Premier League sides are interested but his hefty asking price has seen the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal move on to focus on other targets.
The 20-time English league champions are still monitoring proceedings but are unlikely to pay the London team’s valuation. They view Toney as a £40 million player as per HITC Football.
Brentford are open to keeping the former Peterborough star with them should they not receive a satisfactory offer. The player, on his part, has expressed his desire to move to a bigger club.
“HITC understands that Brentford have not dropped their price tag for Ivan Toney amid transfer interest from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
“Brentford insist that they will not be allowing their star striker to leave in a cut-price deal this summer. Brentford regard Toney as one of the best strikers in the Premier League, and as such, they see him at a certain value and HITC understands that is £60m.”
Valuation gap remains in Toney pursuit
“The 28-year-old has just one year left on his current deal – but Brentford insist they are happy for him to remain in West London if nobody comes forward with a reasonable offer.
“Arsenal and Chelsea have both looked closely in the last 12 months, but have backed away more recently – but he does have other admirers with the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham all showing an interest, although their value of the player is believed to be nearer £40m.”
Toney’s back-to-goal play is something United would dearly like to possess but whether they can afford the striker remains to be seen.
United’s overall budget is not that high and they have multiple gaps to fill. Brentford’s price tag seems beyond the club’s reach as of now.
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