According to The Independent, Manchester United have held initial talks to sign Ivan Toney, but the Brentford striker prefers to join Chelsea instead.
The England international is determined to leave the Bees before Friday’s transfer deadline and The Independent claim that Man United have held preliminary talks for the striker.
The Red Devils are yet to make a formal transfer offer, but Brentford are hopeful of a bidding bar between them and Chelsea that would see them secure around £40 million.
Despite United’s interest, a move to Stamford Bridge remains the priority for the former Peterborough United star.
Set to leave
Toney had a splendid 2022/23 campaign with the Bees, scoring 20 goals in the Premier League. However, his season ended in early May following an 8-month ban for betting breaches.
He returned in January this year in tip-top shape with 4 goals from 5 league games, but he struggled to find the net for the rest of the campaign. He provided just 2 assists in that period.
Despite this, there is solid interest in his services. Chelsea have had mixed fortunes with Nicolas Jackson up front and may want someone, who can find the back of the net with regularity.
With the attacking quality in the Blues squad, Toney would be an ideal fit to capitalise on chances. The Englishman does not shy away from pressing opponents and has the ability to get into good scoring positions.
United have held talks but Toney’s desire to join Chelsea is justifiable. The ‘world-class‘ star may not be guaranteed a starting spot at United with competition from young duo Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund.
At Chelsea, he stands a strong chance of making the striker’s position his own ahead of Jackson and Marc Guiu. He also won’t need to change surroundings and has the opportunity to extend his stay in west London.
Brentford will be hoping for a quick deal by Wednesday such that they can invest those funds on a signing or two.
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