Journalist Simon Phillips claims that Aston Villa is “looking” to recruit Brentford striker Ivan Toney in an attempt to replace Jhon Duran this summer.
He implies that there is still uncertainty around Tomy’s future at Brentford. The England international is hoping that his performance at Euro 2024 would open doors for him to sign with a Premier League team.
While Brentford is reportedly expecting £60 million for the 28-year-old this summer, it is anticipated that he will be available for roughly £40 million. Villa has recently shown interest in the player.
Only 18 months after Duran’s arrival from Chicago Fire, Unai Emery’s team is expected to part ways with the Colombian international and may attempt to replace him with a new player.
In his first full season in Birmingham, the 20-year-old struggled to compete with Ollie Watkins for playing time and failed to make an impression at Villa Park.
Fabrizio Romano claims that Duran has given the go-ahead for the transaction to proceed and is now willing to leave Villa for West Ham United this summer.
According to Phillips’ Substack, Toney is being considered by Chelsea and Aston Villa, among other Premier League teams:
Toney’s main grievance with Chelsea is that not all Chelsea players would support signing him, despite the fact that he does have supporters and some think he is the kind of striker the team needs.
“However, if they want to move on Toney, they might want to step that up, and that is because Aston Villa are now looking at Toney as an option for them this summer, as they are waiting to sell Jhon Duran.”
In contrast to Chelsea, Aston Villa might entice Toney—whom his manager Thomas Frank has called “world-class”—with a chance to play Champions League football after the Birmingham team finished fourth in the league the previous year, earning qualification to the esteemed competition for the first time ever.
After the Euros, Phillips believes, Taylor’s transfer dilemma will intensify. The 28-year-old is currently concentrated on contributing to Gareth Southgate’s team as he awaits the match against Spain.
| Ivan Toney Brentford Stats (2023-24) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes per goal |
| Premier League | 17 | 4 | 2 | 363 |
Villa’s position on Toney may hinge on Ollie Watkins’s status at the team; according to Phillips, England’s semi-final hero has drawn interest from a number of teams this summer, including Chelsea.
Villa is anticipated to demand a high price for their star striker Watkins ahead of a landmark season for the club, therefore Watkins is believed to be an expensive choice for the Blues.
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