West Ham missed out on the chance to sign one of their summer targets for a bargain price four years ago.
The Hammers have wasted no time strengthening their squad this summer with deals already completed for Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham.
However, Julen Lopetegui’s side are still short up front with only Michail Antonio and Danny Ings left in their striker department.
It has been a position that West Ham have struggled to get right in recent years with Sebastian Haller and Marko Arnautovic both struggling in London before leaving and impressing at their new clubs.
Adding firepower to their squad will be a top priority and talks are underway to sign Reiss Nelson, but another forward linked with a move to London Stadium is Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
The 28-year-old appears ready to move on from Brentford this summer and West Ham could look to poach him in what would be a statement signing to start the Lopetegui era.
HITC revealed earlier this year that Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Chelsea were among the clubs interested in Toney.
West Ham already attempted to sign Ivan Toney
It turns out that West Ham had already attempted to sign Toney before he even completed his move to Brentford.
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has revealed that chairman David Sullivan tried to sign Toney but was not willing to meet an asking price that now looks like a bargain.
Speaking on talkSPORT (at 12:44pm), MacAnthony said “He (David Sullivan) did try and buy him four years ago, but he didn’t think he was worth the £10million we wanted.”
Toney eventually went on to sign for Brentford in 2020 for an initial £5million with add-ons attached to the deal.
He has turned into a star striker for the Bees and is admired by manager Thomas Frank, who branded him “remarkable” last year.
As revealed by HITC, it is understood that Brentford want £50million for Toney this summer amid interest from Premier League rivals.
West Ham could return for Ivan Toney
The board at West Ham must be kicking themselves after coming so close to landing Toney four years ago.
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But football clubs cannot be run through hindsight and the Irons now find themselves back interested in the Premier League star again this summer.
Lopetegui’s squad is crying out for a consistent scorer and Toney would guarantee goals at the London Stadium – if their budget allows then the Hammers should go all out for him this summer.
The post Chairman reveals West Ham tried to sign 'remarkable' Premier League star four years ago, he is now worth £50m appeared first on HITC.
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