Tottenham have been urged to ditch their plans to sign Dominic Solanke in favour of Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
The north London club are stepping up their search for a new frontman, with Solanke linked as a top target amid doubts over the future of current No.9 Richarlison.
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Spurs hope to cherry pick the 26-year-old from Bournemouth ahead of next season’s assault on the Premier League and Europa League.
Solanke earned rave reviews last season after boasting his best top-flight numbers of 19 goals in 38 league games.
Available goalscorers are at a premium, as Spurs know only too well, and their efforts to replace Harry Kane has led them to the Bournemouth star.
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However, former Watford and Birmingham striker Troy Deeney believes Tottenham should instead turn their attention to England star Ivan Toney, who continues to angle for a move away from Brentford.
Deeney claims Toney would be a better fit for Ange Postecoglou’s side, believing Solanke would be more suited to Spurs' arch rivals Arsenal, who are also searching for extra ammunition as they look to fight Manchester City for the title again.
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“I think Solanke works better at somewhere like Arsenal where he has to be on the end of something,” Deeney told talkSPORT.
“If you’re going to spend £65million which is the reported fee, I would expect them [Tottenham] to go for Toney, if they can get him.
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“Test the water with Brentford and leave the offer on the table for a week.”
Spells at Chelsea and Liverpool preceded Solanke’s move to the Vitality Stadium in 2019, a switch that helped the striker reignite his career after largely playing bit-part roles.
Deeney is complimentary of Solanke’s recent rise but questions whether the striker possesses the killer instinct to succeed at the highest level.
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“Dominic is good,” Deeney added. “He’s someone who has learned the hard way in terms of being at Liverpool then coming away.
“But whenever I watch Dominic and I think he’s a good player, I still don’t see the killer in him. I know he’s scored a lot of goals but I don’t go ‘it’s everything for him to score a goal’.”
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Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in re-signing their academy graduate, but Tottenham are said to currently lead the chase.
Spurs are looking at ways to lower the transfer fee with the possibility of tempting the Cherries with a players-plus-cash offer.
However, their hopes of a cut-price offer is likely to be rebuffed with Liverpool set to land 20 percent of the fee due to a sell-on clause inserted into the deal which saw Solanke leave Anfield for Bournemouth.
That could see the Reds net a whopping £13m should Tottenham meet the player's £65m release clause.