Since coming back from an eight-month ban imposed for issues relating to betting, Brentford striker, Ivan Toney, has carried on where he left off.
He’s played every minute of the 11 games since he became eligible to pull on a Bees shirt again, scoring four goals in the process per WhoScored.
It’s little wonder that Tottenham remain interested in acquiring his services (The Sun), with West Ham and Chelsea also credited as potential playing destinations.
Though the trail to Arsenal appears to have gone cold at present, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the England international will be plying his trade away from his current employers next season.
Ivan Toney is likely to move this summer
However, there’s still no real definitive update on where that might be.
“Honestly guys, I’ve no concrete update yet on the Ivan Toney situation, despite new reports that West Ham have become surprise favourites in the race for the England international,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.
“I’m not aware of concrete negotiations at the moment with any club, just some interest of course for a very good player like Toney, but it’s still early for the strikers domino effect.
“We heard many things about Toney in the recent months but he was not close to leaving in January. They will try to sort his future before the Euros, but it’s not something guaranteed at this stage.”
It’s intriguing to note that Toney’s situation will aim to be sorted before the European Championship if possible.
Surely, if the 28-year-old gets a seat on the plane and enjoys a decent tournament, his value will sky rocket.
It has to be in Brentford’s interest to maximise the fee that they receive for the player too, so it’s vital that they play this negotiation well.
Of course, were Toney to flop in Germany, his value could decrease, but that might just be a chance that Thomas Frank and the powers that be at Brentford are willing to take.
From the player’s point of view, it’s believed that he’d like to try his luck further up the food chain with the greatest of respect to the Bees.
It could certainly be said that the striker has always given of his best at the club and, were he to move on, there’s likely to be little acrimony.
For now, he needs to concentrate on finding the net for the first time since February 17, in order to help alleviate the worries of a potential relegation.