Newcastle United have discovered the asking price required in their pursuit of Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer, according to a report from iNews' Mark Douglas.
The lowdown: Forwards wanted
Despite the impressive summer business so far at St James' Park, the Toon Army are yet to add the frontline reinforcements required at the top end of the pitch having reportedly been priced out of potential moves for Anthony Gordon, Moussa Diaby, Alexander Isak and Dominic Calvert-Lewin so far.
Signed by Newcastle from Northampton in 2015, Toney struggled to break into the senior setup in the North East but has since taken an unfamiliar route to Brentford stardom via Wigan, Shrewsbury and Peterborough, bagging 139 professional career goals along the way. His manager Thomas Frank claims the former Magpie has the 'mindset of a lion', and his willpower to journey back to the top flight certainly backs that.
As such, PIF were credited with an interest in the 26-year-old recently as Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth desperately seek attacking reinforcements, but Douglas believes the Bees are reluctant to sell unless an astronomical offer is forthcoming...
The latest: Hands off
As per his report for iNews, Brentford are believed to have 'no intention' of selling Toney this summer.
It's claimed that West Ham, Leeds United, Manchester United and indeed Newcastle are all in the mix for the powerful frontman.
However, the report also states that the London outfit could be persuaded to sell the star were 'astronomical offers close to the £40million mark' be received.
The verdict: No deal
Whilst many anticipated lavish spending following the PIF takeover in the North East, spending over the odds certainly hasn't been in the remit thus far and therefore splashing out such a fee for Toney doesn't seem an overly realistic possibility.
Last season, the Northampton-born ace, called 'phenomenal' for his end product by OptaJoe, scored 14 times and provided six assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Brentford, earning an outstanding 7.31 Sofascore rating whilst winning 8.3 duels, making 1.3 key passes and taking 2.7 shots on average per game in the league - showcasing superb battling qualities to accompany an eye for goal.
Capable of operating in a front two or as a lone focal point, Toney has everything at his disposal to be a centre-forward at the top level and his vast array of attributes certainly tick plenty of boxes for Howe as the Newcastle boss attempts to find much-needed support for Chris Wood and Callum Wilson.
That said, albeit there is a burning need to strengthen the attacking ranks accordingly this summer, the Toon must still remain sensible in the market and turn away from such overpriced moves where necessary, a category this one certainly fits into, and Ashworth would be wise to look elsewhere at alternatives.
It appears that any incoming striker is likely to be a similar mould to Toney, Isak and Calvert-Lewin given the transfer blueprint so far, with a classic, physically imposing number nine clearly on the agenda.