Talk that Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham are all exploring a deal to bring Ivan Toney back to the Premier League in January has drawn an emphatic response from two sources, with the £427,000-a-week star having made up his mind for two major reasons.
The seven-times capped England striker moved to Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League in August 2024, with the Jeddah-based club paying Brentford £40m to bring in the prolific frontman. That move has largely been a success too, with Toney scoring 30 times in 44 games across his debut season, while he has followed that up with eight from 10 so far this season.
However, his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s last two England squads has raised speculation that Toney could be tempted to return to the Premier League in the winter window, fuelled by a mission to make their squad for the 2026 World Cup finals.
As a result, Manchester United and West Ham have both been touted for moves – the latter who we have confirmed will try and sign a new striker in the winter window – while Tottenham Hotspur have also been touted as a possible landing spot, owing to the player’s strong relationship with his former manager at Brentford, Thomas Frank.
Despite that, our transfer reporter, Dean Jones, has already insisted that speculation linking Toney with a return to the Premier League is wide of the mark.
Now Hammers News claims their sources have insisted Toney is ‘loving life in Saudi Arabia’ and is not looking to break his contract, which is currently due to run until 2028.
Furthermore, they state there are ‘no truths’ to speculation that the 29-year-old could return to the Premier League in January.
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Toney back to the Premier League? Two sources deny speculation
The source told Hammers News: “He loves it there, there’s no truth in the rumours about Man United and West Ham.
“No truth to the Tottenham rumour either. There is also the issue of tax.”
Those comments tally with what Jones was saying earlier this week.
“There is no genuine sign of Toney moving back to the Premier League at the moment, but it is interesting that noises are starting to be made around him,” Jones said, when asked about links to Spurs and Chelsea.
“There have been some whispers about him going to Spurs. Obviously, there is the Thomas Frank link from Brentford, but I do not get the impression there is too much in it.
“It’s not one that I have heard Spurs seriously looking at for now, but we will know for sure soon once they outline the initial target list for the new year.
“I personally think there are players they will look to before Toney.
“Chelsea are linked too, and I do think that striker is a position the Blues are looking at for 2026, but I would be surprised if this is what they go for.”
Put simply, Toney is more than happy in Saudi Arabia, where he is earning lifetime-changing wages and ensuring future generations of his family will be set up for life.
Furthermore, the player has become something of an ambassador for the Saudi game, often publicly endorsing the product and insisting the top sides would challenge the top-four establishment in the Premier League were they present in the EPL.
Tottenham on Belgian’s trail; Real Madrid withdraw interest in £70m United target
We understand Tottenham’s January focus is likely to be on another midfield addition, with Frank not entirely satisfied with his options there.
And top of his wishlist is a Belgian midfielder earning rave reviews and who sources have confirmed could be allowed to leave in the winter window if his asking price is met and amidst his current side’s struggles.
United also fancy a new midfielder in the January window, and are prepared to spend big to land their top target.
To that end, United have been left as the sole suitors for Adam Wharton in January after Real Madrid withdrew from the race for a somewhat surprising reason – and TEAMtalk has assessed the chances of Ruben Amorim landing his top target when the transfer window re-opens in just 75 days.
The Hammers, though, do want a new striker in the winter window and sources understand that Nuno Espirito Santo is preparing to move for a young striker in January as they look to inject fresh energy into their attack.