Ivan Toney is after a pay packet which would see him earn more than Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, it has been claimed.
England and Brentford striker Toney is expected to leave his club over the summer, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea previously linked with a swoop in addition to United. The 28-year-old has four goals in 13 club outings since returning from a betting ban, after scoring 20 in the Premier League last season.
The former Newcastle man also scored his first senior England goal in March, putting away a penalty in the 2-2 draw with Belgium. While Brentford have pulled clear of relegation danger, he is still tipped to leave the Bees in the summer.
United were keen to add a striker in January but financial restrictions stood in their way. While Toney may fit the bill for manager Erik ten Hag, his reported demands could upset high earner Fernandes.
According to The Sun, Toney is after £250,000 per week, the equivalent of £13m per year. That's said to be £10,000 per week more than Fernandes, with the demands also potentially standing in the way of a new Brentford deal for Toney.
Fernandes isn't United's highest earner, despite wearing the armband. That honour is understood to belong to Casemiro, with Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford and out-on-loan Jadon Sancho all on £300,000 or more per week. Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are reported to be on £250,000 per week, though the latter is set to depart in the summer.
Varane could also be on the move, with no agreement reached on a new contract at the time of writing. If both French internationals depart, it would significantly lower United's weekly wage bill.
Toney scored four goals in his first five league appearances of the season, including a free-kick against Nottingham Forest in his first game back. Two months have passed since the last of those goals, though, and he angered some Bees fans with comments on the eve of their match against Burnley in March.
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When asked about his dream end to the season, he said: "I'm in the mix for the Euros and then we win the Euros. Let things fall into the place. If Brentford were to sell me, they'd make their money, I move to Madrid and it's all good".
Thomas Frank's team lost to Burnley that weekend, but have gone unbeaten in four games since to ease their relegation worries. The first of those games came against Manchester United, with Kristoffer Ajer scoring a stoppage-time equaliser, while Toney remained on the bench for Saturday's 2-0 victory over Sheffield United.
Three points away at Luton in their next game would lift the Bees 10 points clear of the drop zone and all but assure another season of Premier League football. United, meanwhile, have work to do to even qualify for the Europa League after losing ground on the top four in recent weeks.
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