Manchester United now have less competition to sign Ivan Toney as Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly closing in on signing Dominic Solanke.
Rasmus Hojlund will spend six weeks on the sidelines, and the Reds are now linked with bolstering their attacking options and have seemingly set their sights on Toney. The 28-year-old Brentford star could be available for a bargain £40million as his contract with the Bees expires next summer.
Toney had previously rumoured with Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs, but with Arsenal exploring other avenues, Chelsea nearing a deal for Atletico Madrid's Samu Omorodion, and Spurs showing interest in Solanke, United's chances of securing the England international have significantly improved.
The Athletic reports that Solanke has agreed personal terms with Tottenham, who are close to wrapping up what could be a club-record deal for the former Chelsea and Liverpool forward. A £65m release clause is in his Bournemouth contract, and Spurs could offer a sum close to that fee.
Tottenham have yet to find a suitable replacement for Harry Kane following his £100m move to Bayern Munich last year. However, recent comments from Ange Postecoglou suggest that the delay is simply due to Tottenham waiting for the right candidate.
The Spurs manager emphasised the necessity of a specific striker profile during their pre-season tour in Japan, saying: "What's important is the type of striker we get. You know we play a certain way," and continued to stress the attributes sought after: "We demand certain things from a physical perspective from the technical aspects of it that it's going be a striker that fits that mould."
He also pointed out the current squad depth issues: "It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously that's a focus for us."