Ivan Toney is set for a hectic summer when he returns from Euro 2024, with the Brentford striker the subject of intense transfer speculation.
While Arsenal and Chelsea have both been interested in the England striker in the past, Brentford's £80m transfer valuation has seemed to put them off. With Toney's contract having just a year to run now, though, he could be available for a cut-price deal - putting some top clubs on red alert.
And Toney has made clear his desire to play for a "top" club recently. In January he said: "It's obvious I'd like to play for a top club, everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kinds of things."
Fortunately, he has attracted that level of interest.
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According to Chelsea journalist Si Phillips, Toney still remains on the Blues' shortlist for this summer window, though Aston Villa have now shown an interest for the 28-year-old to bring him to Villa Park.
With Aston Villa set to compete in the Champions League next season, Unai Emery is keen on bolstering his squad with better quality and more strength in depth. While that has already seen them make five signings already, with Ian Maatsen, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenechea and Ross Barkley all joining the club for around £70m in total, they're not keen on stopping there.
Signing Toney would see Aston Villa add plenty more goals to their attack in the 2024/25 season, as well as see him unite with his current England team-mate Ollie Watkins. It could end up being a devastating partnership, too - last season Watkins bagged 19 Premier League goals, while Toney struck 20 times in the campaign before.
Jhon Duran is reportedly the subject of a £40m bid from West Ham United, too, with the 20-year-old having impressed in his appearances last season. That money would help Emery's side bring in a proven goalscorer like Toney, providing them with more options in attack as a result.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, this is certainly a transfer that makes a lot of sense. Aston Villa will need another striker if Duran does leave, and a quality one at that considering they'll be competing in the Champions League.
Toney, too, would achieve his dream of playing in Europe, while also getting the opportunity to score plenty more goals. Villa also have the money to pull this deal off, so there's no reason why it can't happen.
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