Manchester United submit first offer for Ivan Toney, ready to include Christian Eriksen to bring down the price | OneFootball

A cursory glance at the current Premier League table will show that goalscoring has been a major problem for Manchester United this season with the Red Devils netting the lowest among the top-10 sides.

No United player figures in the top 25 of the goalscoring charts in the English top-flight with skipper Bruno Fernandes making a belated appearance in 26th spot with 10 goals.

The club initially wanted Harry Kane to lead the line for them but with Tottenham Hotspur refusing to conduct business with the Old Trafford side, the 20-time English league champions were forced to look elsewhere and opted to sign Rasmus Hojlund instead.

The young Dane has done well for his debut season, netting 15 times across all competitions and is the club’s joint-top scorer this term but the club needed a lot more from their frontman.

Rasmus needs help

The 21-year-old has struggled with the physicality of the English game and his back-to-goal play requires improvement. Manager Erik ten Hag never wanted to overburden the former Atalanta starlet considering his minimum experience prior to his move to the Theatre of Dreams.

However, the Glazers failed to help with reinforcements both last summer and in January and the perennial injury troubles of Anthony Martial and the drop-off in form of Marcus Rashford meant Ten Hag was forced to keep playing Hojlund, who looked like he needed a break.

INEOS want to correct this error and are looking at strengthening up top and Ivan Toney of Brentford is among the club’s targets but a lot of other teams also have their eyes on the England international.

Fichajes have claimed that in order to stave off competition for the Bees forward, United have already submitted their first offer of around €70 million.

But the London team are expected to reject it as they feel their player’s value is more than that and with interest from the likes of Chelsea, and Arsenal, a bidding war could ensue which would suit Thomas Frank’s side.

United submit first offer for Toney

“Manchester United has surprised the football world by making Ivan Toney its priority target to reinforce its forward line. Under the direction of their coach, Erik ten Hag, the Old Trafford team is willing to make a significant investment to secure the services of the talented English striker.

“Manchester United have presented an initial offer of close to 70 million euros to Brentford for Ivan Toney. This first offer could be rejected by Brentford due to the discrepancy in the player’s value.

“Given the prohibitive price set by Brentford, Manchester United will have to look for other forms of negotiation to reduce the cost of acquiring Ivan Toney. Both parties are expected to continue talking in search of an agreement that satisfies both parties and allows the English striker to join the Old Trafford team.”

Interestingly, Teamtalk have now suggested that a player-plus-cash deal could sway Brentford, especially if the three-time European champions offer Christian Eriksen as part of the deal.

The Dane was playing at the Gtech Community Stadium prior to his move to the Theatre of Dreams and Frank has made no secret of his admiration for the midfield magician.

Player exchange possible as well

Eriksen’s United career seems to be fizzling out as seen from the drastically reduced minutes in comparison to the last campaign and the Red Devils are also open to a sale.

“That could yet involve a player exchange deal with a return to Brentford for Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen – possibly as part of a swap deal – not ruled out,” the report stated.

Toney’s price rose dramatically during his absence as a result of sports betting but his displays post his return have not been that good. Last season he had scored 21 times in all competitions.

The 28-year-old has four goals and one assist in 16 league games this term, with his last goal coming back in February. Whether United still feel Toney is the best bet for the club remains to be seen.

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