Brentford sign Premier League striker on loan transfer amid doubts over Ivan Toney’s future

BRENTFORD have signed Neal Maupay on a season-long loan from Everton.

The Bees had been on the hunt for attacking reinforcements since May, with star man Ivan Toney suspended until January.

They considered a swoop for both Viktor Gyokeres and Habib Diallo earlier this summer, but neither player completed a switch to the Gtech Community Stadium.

However, on the final day of the window, Thomas Frank and his team sealed a last-minute deal for Maupay.

The agreement also includes an option to buy.

Maupay completed a medical in London on Friday before the 11pm deadline.

The striker spent two years with Brentford before joining Brighton in 2019.

He scored 41 goals and provided 14 assists in 95 appearances during his first spell in West London.

Maupay is expected to be the club’s short-term replacement for Toney, who is currently serving an eight-month ban for betting offences.

Although he could eventually become Frank’s first choice striker, with Toney currently being linked with a move away.

Chelsea are understood to be considering the possibility of a move for the forward.

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Brentford reportedly want £80million for the 27-year-old.

However, he recently revealed that he would be open to joining three other Premier League clubs.

Speaking to Steven Bartlett on the  podcast, he said: “My time at Brentford has been probably the best of my career.

“The next club I go to will be the right club. I am a Liverpool fan my whole life.

“I have liked Arsenal from young, how they play and how passionate their fans are.

“But I’m a Liverpool boy, Liverpool fan at heart.

“I liked [Dimitar] Berbatov. I liked watching United a lot when Berbatov was there, too.”