Ivan Toney’s future looks set to reach a dramatic climax in the final days of the transfer window as Manchester United reportedly plot to hijack Chelsea’s shock move for the Brentford star.
Al Ahli’s move for the 28-year-old has so far been unsuccessful and opened the market with Chelsea and Manchester United now battling it out for Toney’s signature.
Toney was believed to be set for a move to Saudi Arabia
It was apparent that Ivan Toney’s future lay outside of Brentford after the striker was left out of Thomas Frank’s squad to face Crystal Palace on the opening day.
The Brentford boss was honest about why Toney was left out of his squad, admitting: “A lot of things are going on with Ivan, there is some transfer interest.
“Because of that, he is not in the squad. Ivan is a top player — we all know that. He has been a fantastic player for us for four years, but we showed last year we could cope without him”.
Toney’s suspected destination was Saudi Arabian side, Al Ahli, with strong links to a move being followed by a report from Ben Jacobs which stated that Toney had agreed a deal with the Middle Eastern side with SPL representatives set to fly to London in order to find an agreement with Brentford.
It appears as though, despite the widely known wealth of Saudi Arabian sides, Al-Ahli have failed to meet Brentford’s reported valuation of around £40 million, offering just £25 million instead, as per the Evening Standard.
Chelsea’s move for Toney is set to be hijacked by Man United
Al-Ahli’s troubles to agree a deal for Toney alerted Chelsea, who according to Sky Sports are keen to sign a new striker in the remaining days of the transfer window, despite Enzo Maresca already working with an incredibly bloated squad.
However, in a shock update, Manchester United are reportedly attempting to hijack the Blues deal with initial talks regarding the signing of Toney believed to be underway.
Brentford are believed to be confident that United’s interest could drive up the potential price of a sale after the Bees feared they could lose the once £100m-rated forward for £40 million.
Manchester United already have Rasmus Hojlund at the club as well as recently signing Joshua Zirkzee for £36.5 million but Ten Hag’s side now look keen to add yet another striker in the form of Ivan Toney.
Manchester United and Chelsea are currently working on a swap deal
It remains to be seen whether Manchester United’s shock hijack of Chelsea’s move for Ivan Toney will be detrimental to the relationship between the two sides who are reported to currently be trying to agree a swap deal between Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling.
Both English wingers are currently out of favour at their current sides with the Evening Standard revealing that the two clubs are seeking a solution to their issues by allowing the pair to swap clubs.