It's been a busy but exciting summer for Manchester United this year.
Erik ten Hag's side weren't overly impressive during the preseason, but the work off of the pitch has been tremendous, with players like Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, and soon Manuel Ugarte joining up to help bring Sir Jim Ratcliffe's vision of a rejuvenated United to life.
However, while most teams would now sit back and take pride in the business they have conducted, the Red Devils look intent on adding at least one more star to their squad.
The latest player touted for a move to Old Trafford could bring a mountain of goals with him and even has shades of a certain Dimitar Berbatov to boot.
Manchester United transfer news
According to a recent report from The Standard, United are once again interested in signing Brentford ace Ivan Toney.
In fact, the report claims that the Red Devils have already held initial discussions with the Bees over a potential move, and while the West Londoners want a fee of around £50m, the looming deadline could see the Englishman sold for just £40m.
However, the most significant barrier to this deal going through is that, as things stand, the player would prefer a move to Chelsea, who are also keen to secure his services before the clock strikes 11pm tomorrow.
That said, given Toney's incredible goal record and potential bargain price, this is a transfer well worth fighting for, especially as there are some apparent similarities to former United star Berbatov.
Toney's similarities to Berbatov
Now, the first thing to say is that while there are certainly some similarities between Toney and Berbatov, especially if this deal goes through, it would be unfair to expect the Brentford ace to match up with the Bulgarian at Old Trafford, as while he was an unorthodox player, the Bulgarian international left the Theatre of Dreams with two league titles, two League Cups, a Club World Cup and two Community Shields under his arm.
Appearances
149
Goals
56
Assists
26
Goal Involvements per Match
0.55
Moreover, he also racked up 56 goals and 26 assists in 149 appearances for the club, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.82 games, and while the Englishman might be able to reach those levels, it's still a lot of pressure.
That said, what are these similarities, then? Well, the first is that if this transfer is completed, then both poachers would have joined the Red Devils slightly later in their careers, as the Blagoevgrad-born ace was 27 in 2008, and the former Newcastle United ace is now 28.
Second, the pair of them would have made their big move to the three-time European Champions from a team in the capital, Tottenham Hotspur, in the case of the 79-capped international, and obviously Brentford for the man of the moment.
The final similarity based on the deal itself is that, like Berbatov, the Northampton-born "monster", as dubbed by manager Thomas Frank, would likely complete his transfer on deadline day.
Now, there are also a couple of stylistic similarities between the two stars as well, with the first being the fact that neither one was or is blessed with pace and that their biggest strength on the pitch is their ability to finish, placing the ball exactly where they want it to go.
The final point of comparison between the pair is that they share a level of self-belief that some may see as arrogance or even cockiness. Berbatov's former teammate at Spurs, Jamie O'Hara, described the striker as a "fantastic player" but "so arrogant."
Likewise, Toney has made no secret of how highly he rates himself in recent seasons, making disparaging comments about Brentford on holiday and openly telling interviewers which teams he'd like to play for more recently.
Ultimately, while the Englishman – who has scored 72 goals in 141 games for the Bees – isn't going to be the next coming of the Bulgarian legend at United, he'd undoubtedly bring plenty of goals with him, and therefore, at the reported price, signing him before the window slams shut feels like a no-brainer.
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