It will take an astronomical fee for Leeds United to lure Ivan Toney away from Brentford this summer, reports the reliable Mark Douglas.

The Lowdown: Striker search drags on

Leeds aren’t making any secret of their search for a new goalscorer this summer but have so far had little success, with the move for Charles De Ketelaere seemingly faltering amid interest from Milan while interest in Arnaud Kalimuendo has also stalled.

Victor Orta is clearly desperate to snap up a new centre-forward for Jesse Marsch, even flying out to New York in connection with Valentin Castellanos, who now looks set to join Spanish side Girona.

Reports over the weekend name Toney as yet another target to reinforce the striker position, and Douglas has shared more information on the interest in the Bees star.

The Latest: £40m

According to the iNews reporter, Brentford have ‘no intention’ of selling Toney, but could be convinced if an eye-watering offer ‘close to the £40million mark’ arrived.

Douglas confirms Leeds are one of several Premier League clubs in the mix, name-checking the Whites alongside Newcastle, West Ham and Manchester United.

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The Verdict: Worth it

It’s hard to argue against Toney being an incredible candidate to rival or perhaps partner Patrick Bamford at Elland Road, given his phenomenal record since leaving Newcastle as a youngster.

The 26 year-old scored 49 times in 94 games for Peterborough before earning his move to Bees, where he has gone on to bag 47 goals in 89 appearances – OptaJoe called his end product ‘phenomenal’ as he obliterated the record for goals in a Championship season during the 2020/21 campaign.

Standing at 6 feet tall and ranking in the 88th percentile for strikers throughout Europe when it comes to aerial duels, the Englishman would provide a somewhat different type of threat to Bamford, and his place in the 84th percentile for progressive passes shows he could also turn creator and help the incumbent number nine thrive.

Yes, it would take a record fee to make this deal happen, but it could be just what Marsch needs to take his system to the next level. Get it done Victor.