West Ham want to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford this summer and are hoping to capitalise on hesitancy from the Premier League’s Big Six to win the race for the striker’s signature.
David Moyes has placed the signing of a centre-forward at the top of his priorities for the summer transfer window with West Ham having been unable to recruit a regular source of goals.
High-profile additions in Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca failed to work out as hoped, while Michail Antonio is set to turn 34 this week and has struggled with fitness problems this season.
Toney is a top target, according to Football Insider, and the Irons are hopeful of agreeing a deal. The 28-year-old will enter the final 12 months of his contract at Brentford in the summer and has made no secret of his desire to compete on a bigger stage.
Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with the England international, though each have other priorities. The Gunners are believed to have cooled their interest in Toney and are focusing on younger options, with Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen leading candidates for Mikel Arteta.
Chelsea, meanwhile, want to add a number nine to their squad and have also been linked with various options. However, the Blues require sales before spending big in the summer, after record-breaking investment in recent transfer windows.
West Ham are hoping to capitalise on the uncertainty of their London rivals to steal a march in the race for Toney, who could command a fee in excess of the £51million paid to sign Lucas Paqueta from Lyon in 2022.
