Ivan Toney: Man Utd, Arsenal battle intensifies as Brentford hunt Liverpool target to replace talisman

Ivan Toney pointing to his left while playing for Brentford

Manchester United and Arsenal have been given a boost in their chase to sign Ivan Toney, as Brentford are reportedly ready to battle Liverpool for the signing of Bundesliga forward Maximilian Beier.

Arsenal looked into signing Toney during the current January transfer window, but after a huge summer outlay they soon decided they would not be able to afford him. Brentford want somewhere between £80-100million to sell their talisman, and that is currently out of Arsenal’s reach.

Toney will not be leaving Brentford for any club this month, as he has decided to repay the Bees for the faith they showed in him during his betting ban. Although, the Englishman has publicly flirted with the idea of joining a ‘top club’ at some point in the future.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Toney is expected to sign a new Brentford contract in the coming months, and it is likely to include an £80m release clause.

Arsenal remain interested in Toney and will push again to land him over the summer, but they will now face competition from Man Utd. On Thursday, it emerged that Erik ten Hag wants to sign either Toney or Brian Brobbey to improve Man Utd’s attack ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

The battle for Toney is intensifying, as Brentford are stepping up their pursuit for a striker replacement. According to Christian Falk of Bild, Thomas Frank’s side are huge admirers of rising Hoffenheim star Beier – a player whom Liverpool are keeping tabs on.

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“There’s still very concrete interest from Brentford in Maximilian Beier. I heard they asked if he wanted to move in the current window,” the German journalist told CaughtOffside.

“They were open to spending €30m (£25.6m) on him but he doesn’t want to go just yet as he’s aware he’s being watched by many Premier League clubs including Burnley, Everton and Liverpool. He wants to see what will happen in the summer.

Brentford eye Maximilian Beier as Ivan Toney replacement

“At the moment, the release clause that he has in his contract isn’t active in the winter – just for the summer, at which point it will be €32.5m (£27.7m). Not far away from €30m!

“Every year he stays at Hoffenheim it goes down by €2.5m, so it’s getting cheaper and Beier knows he has many chances for the next step but he doesn’t want to make it this winter.”

It will be a huge blow for Brentford when Toney leaves, as he has established himself as their main focal point in attack and as their main goalscorer. Last term, he netted 20 goals in 33 Premier League games, and he returned from his ban by scoring a great – if controversial – free-kick against Nottingham Forest.

But the 27-year-old appears destined to play at the very highest level, and Arsenal are favourites in the race for his services. Toney would like to test himself out in the Champions League, and Arsenal have a better chance at qualifying for next season’s version of the competition than Man Utd.

While it might take Beier some time to get used to the Prem, he could end up being a fantastic signing for Brentford. He is one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga, and he can score too as his record stands at seven goals and five assists from 17 league matches this term.

It is no wonder that Liverpool are big fans of his, but a move to Brentford appears to be beckoning for the exciting 21-year-old.