Aston Villa would be foolish not to join the race to sign Ivan Toney.
That is the view of former attacker Stan Collymore, who believes the Brentford striker would be a ‘superb addition’ to Unai Emery’s squad ahead of next season.
Expected to depart the Community Stadium at the end of the campaign when he will have just 12 months left on his contract, Toney, 27, is heavily linked with almost all of the Premier League’s top clubs.
And although Arsenal and Chelsea remain the red-hot favourites to land the Northampton-born hitman, Collymore believes one of his former clubs should also throw their name into the mix.
“I would love to see Aston Villa join the party,” he said in an exclusive interview.
“I know Toney’s preference may be to stay in London, but if he fancies a change of scenery, I would happily drive him to the Midlands myself.
“Unai Emery is one injury away from having no recognised striker. If Ollie Watkins is sidelined, that only leaves Jhon Duran, and he’s injured himself at the moment, so it’s obvious Villa needs a new forward — Toney would be a superb addition.”
Knowing Villa are almost completely reliant on Watkins will be a major concern for Emery. The club also appeared happy to allow Duran to leave in the January window — had it not been for an untimely injury, the young forward could have joined Chelsea after the Blues were widely reported to have considered making a winter approach.
Nevertheless, with Duran remaining with the Villians and Watkins continuing to lead the line alone, identifying another striker to help ease the burden will certainly be top of Emery’s agenda come the summer — whether or not that includes Toney remains to be seen though.
Where do you think Brentford’s number 17 will play next? — Let us know in the comments below.