Newcastle told £40m or no deal as Eddie Howe considers next step in striker search - Report

According to Mark Douglas at iNews, Brentford are demanding at least £40million for Ivan Toney following interest from Newcastle United.

The report states that the Bees are hugely reluctant to sell their top scorer, but would be forced to consider a sale if a big offer arrived.

This comes after a week of transfer frustration on Tyneside, with Hugo Ekitike joining PSG just a few days after moves for Alexander Isak and Moussa Diaby stalled due to hefty asking prices and astronomic wage demands, leaving Eddie Howe to explore other options.

During his time on Tyneside, Toney was sent out on loan on six separate occasions before being deemed not good enough by Rafa Benitez - who sold him to League One outfit Peterborough.

Since then, it has been all uphill for the Englishman who has fought his way to the top, scoring a combined 96 goals in 183 appearances for both Brentford and Peterborough - including 12 in the Premier League last season.

The Bees are looking to build on last years success - finishing 12th in their first ever top-flight appearance - and view Toney as a key figure in their system, particularly after already losing Christian Eriksen.

It is understood that no offer has been made by Newcastle yet, but, as we've become accustomed to, a high fee is expected with the player still having three years left on his contract.