With Manchester United and Chelsea showing renewed interest, Thomas Frank has hinted at a potential transfer for Ivan Toney and has declined to rule out a deal.
For the £60 million-rated striker, United and Chelsea are thinking of a PSR-friendly contract in which they would initially sign him on loan with a commitment to later purchase him.
In the middle of those reports, Frank was directly questioned regarding Toney’s future and was unable to say whether or not the Englishman would be departing Brentford.
“Excellent question!” When asked if Toney will be staying or leaving, Brentford head coach Frank told talkSPORT, before he laughed a little uneasy.
Frank’s answer suggests the Bees are open to sale – but the Brentford boss also insists that he would love to keep Toney – if a move doesn’t get over the line.
‘People will keep asking me (about Toney) until the 1st of September,’ Frank added. ‘Honestly, I don’t know.
‘What I do know is that he is a Brentford player. I am very happy about that. He has done fantastic for us and he’s been one of our best players, if not the best.
‘If he’s in my team on the 1st of September, I’ll be delighted. He’s not been sold yet.
‘His attitude has been brilliant, as always. Ivan is a fantastic player, he is even better as a person. He just loves to play football.’
Toney caught the attention of some of England’s biggest clubs after his glowing 2022-23 Premier League season, in which he scored 20 goals across 33 games.
The 28-year-old has been strongly linked to Arsenal in recent transfer windows but Chelsea and United have always maintained an interest too.
Toney, who recently had a spell away from football due to a gambling ban which has now passed, was selected in the England squad for Euro 2024 and made headlines for his ‘crazy’ no-look penalty technique.
He has earned six international caps to date, which all came under Gareth Southgate.