Manchester United still in the race for Brentford striker Ivan Toney | OneFootball

Manchester United have reportedly waited until the end of the transfer window to gain an advantage in their pursuit of Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

Whilst United have prioritised bolstering their midfield before the end of the window, there are some journalists who insist the club still aim to strengthen their attack and sign a striker despite the capture of Friday’s match winner Joshua Zirkzee earlier in the summer.

One name that has been regularly linked to the club is 28 year old Ivan Toney, who scored 20 goals in the 2022/2023 season for the Bees.

It was previously reported that Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli were interested in making a €40 million bid for the striker and they have reportedly had a formal bid rejected in recent days.

Consequently, Toney was omitted from Brentford’s squad at the weekend as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 but it was reported that United were still not interested in making a move for the forward.

The Mirror take a different stance on this however as they claim that English clubs like United are still very much in the race for the England international.

“Manchester United and Chelsea have also been credited with interest, but have deliberately waited until the latter stages of the summer transfer window to try and force Brentford’s hand, with Toney desperate to leave. The ball is now in their court.”

In addition to this, the Manchester Evening News back up the Red Devils’ interest in the forward as they state Rasmus Hojluind’s pre-season injury has “directed Dan Ashworth and Co towards the recruitment of another striker, with Toney’s name coming back into the fold following long-standing rumours.”

Whilst there seems total agreement in the press that United are desperate to land a defensive midfielder, most likely in the shape of Manuel Ugarte, there is a distinct lack of clarity on the striker position.

On the one hand the Red Devils will not want to curtail the growth of their two young strikers with Hojlund only turning 21 last season and Zirkzee being 23 years old.

On the other, Erik ten Hag’s side badly struggled for goals last season and may feel the addition of a seasoned goalscorer to work alongside their youthful duo could be the perfect solution to this problem.

Perhaps United’s interest in Toney could also be connected to what sales they can get done between now and the end of the window with Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Hannibal Mejbri, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof all more than possible departures over the course of the next 11 days.

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