Brentford manager Thomas Frank has admitted ‘you never know’ what might happen with Ivan Toney in the summer transfer market.
The 28-year-old striker has been the subject of much transfer speculation over recent months, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham heavily linked with his signature.
West Ham have also been urged to make a bid for Toney — who has 36 Premier League goals in 85 appearances to his name and was part of England’s squad for Euro 2024.
Despite Toney only managing four goals last season following his return from an eight-month ban, his 20-goal showing in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign remains strong in the memory.
As such, Brentford would love to keep hold of their star striker and have reportedly slapped a £60m fee on his head — although some outlets (including The Sun) have suggested the Bees are willing to slash their asking price.
Either way, Frank cannot say with any real certainty that the Bees will keep Toney away from the clutches of bigger powers this summer.
“You never know! He’s a Brentford player and I would love him to stay. It would give me a very positive challenge,” Frank told Sky Sports News on Saturday.
“I haven’t met a coach who doesn’t want as many good players as possible. Right now, he’s a Brentford player.
“He’s enjoying his time off and I’m happy, if he’s here with us I’ll be more than happy. A 20-goal goalscorer, there’s two things in that. It’s very good to have that in your team, and it makes him expensive!
“We’ve said before, I want to keep all my players, besides maybe five or six clubs in the world we’re a selling club – and if there’s the right bid which comes in, fine.”
