Erik ten Hag’s stance on Ivan Toney revealed as Thomas Frank paves way for his summer exit

Brentford are resigned to losing their prolific talisman Ivan Toney this summer amid interest from numerous Premier League clubs.

The frontman has long been linked with a move away from the Gtech Community Stadium and now, after entering the final year of his contract, the Bees will be looking to cash in on him or else risk losing him for nothing in 2025.

Toney, 27, has never made secret his desire to play for a club competing for more silverware than Brentford and prior to his comeback from his eight-month ban for breaching gambling regulations, he expressed: “You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere, but I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club.

“Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”

Thomas Frank has seemingly paved the way for his star man’s exit too, as he recently told Danish outlet Tipsbladet (cited by Sky Sports): “It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.

“He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team.”

Manchester United have always been one of the names in the list of potential suitors for Toney and given their goalscoring woes this term, it would certainly be a ready-made match; the Reds have scored just 31 goals in 23 Premier League games, the lowest of any side in the top 11 of the table.

Meanwhile, the England international is renowned for his clinical finishing and has found the back of the net 34 times in 69 league appearances since Brentford were promoted in 2021.

United rule themselves out of Toney race

While on paper it may seem like a no-brainer to target such a proven No.9, the Mirror states that United have no plans of entering a summer bidding war for the £100million-rated Toney. Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to go head-to-head for his signature and despite Erik ten Hag tracking the player, the board are unwilling to pay the West London side’s asking price.