Ivan Toney may decide to wind down Brentford contract
- Toney heading into final 12 months of contract at Brentford
- The 28-year-old once publicly valued by Thomas Frank at £100m amid interest from Premier League's biggest clubs
- Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all linked to Toney
Ivan Toney may consider free agency in 2025 if the right club doesn't present itself this summer.
The 28-year-old, who earned a call-up to England's 33-player preliminary squad for Euro 2024 on Tuesday, has 12 months remaining on his current deal and is open to leaving the club in order to further his career.
Toney was once valued by Brentford manager Thomas Frank at £100m, with the Dane saying in February that his prized asset 'will likely be sold in the summer', but with such little time remaining on his contract, Brentford will consider offers in excess of £45m.
Arsenal and Chelsea are long-term suitors who have discussed Toney, but he's never been top of either club's wishlists, while 90min revealed in April that Manchester United are interested in signing Toney as they seek to add experience and leadership to their squad.
All three clubs are keeping their eyes on other top strikers, too, with Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres among those linked; and with Toney seeking wages in the region of £250,000-per-week, it remains to be seen whether an offer will be forthcoming.
90min understands that Toney is prepared to stay and leave as a free agent. He feels loyalty to Brentford, having returned in January after an eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations, but would only agree to a new deal if his wage demands are met, and this is difficult for Brentford to agree to.
Were this scenario to play out, Toney could play a season at the Gtech Community Stadium alongside £30m club-record signing Igor Thiago, who will join from Club Brugge on July 1. Brentford would then hope that he hits the heights of his first season as a Premier League player, when he scored 20 top flight goals to push himself further into the England setup in the build up to the 2026 World Cup.
In the summer of 2025, Toney would then be free to negotiate with clubs without the burden of a transfer fee needing to be paid, which in turn may make his sizeable wage demands more palatable for those involved in discussions, and it could get him a healthy signing-on fee even though he'll be approaching 30 by then.
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