West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly the frontrunners to sign England international Ivan Toney after Brentford reduced his asking price to £50 million due to a lack of interest【The Sun, 18 July】.
Despite talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino believing Toney would be a perfect fit for West Ham, he doubts either club will meet Brentford’s valuation. Speaking on talkSPORT on Saturday (20 July, 8:54), Cascarino said, “I personally feel that Toney could fit both West Ham and Spurs. As long as you play a runner off him.
“When you’re buying a center-forward to lead the line who is good at flick-ons, holding the ball up, and bringing players into play, you’re looking for movement beyond.
“Both of those clubs have that; they have runners beyond. Bowen can do it for West Ham, and obviously, Son Heung-min can do that for Spurs. He can do a job for both teams, so I wouldn’t say one is a preference for me.
“I don’t think he’ll go for £50 million. I’d go more down the route of £40 million, with add-ons to reach £50 million.”
**Will West Ham United Sign Ivan Toney from Brentford in the Summer Transfer Window?**
The Hammers are in the market for a new striker this summer, and while Toney is a candidate, he is not the only player under consideration by manager Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham has funds available for transfers but will be reluctant to overpay for a forward with only a year left on his contract at Brentford. Brentford’s asking price might continue to drop as the transfer window progresses and the risk of losing Toney as a free agent increases.
Securing Toney for £40 million would be a bargain for West Ham, but it wouldn’t be surprising if other clubs also show interest at that price. This situation will be closely watched in the coming weeks of the transfer window.
