£80 million-valued Newcastle United target ‘destined’ to leave Premier League club in January

It was recently reported that Newcastle United have registered their interest in bringing Ivan Toney back to St James’ Park. The striker is currently suspended from football activities due to a breach of the FA’s gambling regulations, but his ban is due to lift in the new year and he could be set to move on from Brentford.

In fact, an agent has predicted that Toney ‘is destined’ to leave the Bees in January and start his new chapter at another club. The Athletic recently gathered the thoughts of several anonymous football agents in a post-transfer window feature, and one believes talks could get underway in the coming months, ready for when Toney returns on January 17th, 2024.

On potentially leaving Brentford in the new year, the unnamed agent said: “It’s destined to happen when he gets back [after his ban] and [a deal] can get sorted whilst he’s out. Good for him and maybe even Brentford too.”

As reported earlier this week by FootballTransfers, Toney has moved to a new agency and has been in talks with multiple clubsm including Newcastle as he prepares to return from his eight month ban. Eddie Howe is looking for a clinical attacker who can bag upwards of 20 goals a season in order to keep the Magpies on track at the top of the table as they push to qualify for Champions League football again.

Acquiring Toney will be no easy feat though, as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are both also very keen on the 27-year-old, who notched 20 goals and four assists in the Premier League last season.

Brentford have already prepared themselves for a bombardment of offers for Toney once the January window opens and they value him at a whopping £80 million. Callum Wilson’s contract with Newcastle is due to expire next summer and Howe will certainly want someone to replace him, but whether the club will splash that much cash on a January signing remains a topic to debate.