West Ham United could hand FFP boost to Newcastle United with £75m statement signing

West Ham United are reportedly preparing to hand an unexpected Financial Fair Play boost to Newcastle United by making a move for a former Magpies striker.

The Hammers are well known to be in the market for a frontman this summer after being forced to play Jarrod Bowen as a lead striker throughout the season. The England international has performed well with 18 goals in all competitions but he has been the only consistent source of goals available to David Moyes throughout a hectic campaign at the London Stadium.

Football Insider have now claimed the Hammers are keen to make a ‘statement signing’ when the summer transfer window opens for business and they have identified former Magpies striker Ivan Toney as the player they believe can land the Brentford star despite competition from Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 28-year-old’s future has been a source of widespread speculation in recent months after Bees manager Thomas Frank revealed he expected Toney to leave the club this summer and admitted it would be ‘fun to see him on a top team’.

He told Danish media outlet Tipsbladet: ”It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don't think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now. He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team. This winter we actually had no offers for him, but it will surprise me if there aren't a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”

Toney’s time on Tyneside gave little sign of the goal-laden career the striker has forged in the game since his permanent departure from Tyneside. After making just four senior appearances for the Magpies, Toney made a £350,000 move to Peterborough United in August 2018 and went on to score 49 goals in 94 games for The Posh to earn a move to Brentford just two years later.

The deal that took Toney to Peterborough saw Newcastle agree a sell-on clause that will see them earn additional funds from every profitable move the striker makes during his career - according to Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony.

MacAnthony said on the Hard Truth Podcast: “Newcastle didn’t want to sell Ivan Toney to us, they wanted him to move on loan. But we don’t loan strikers so we invited Newcastle to share in Ivan’s future success with a sell-on fee. They agreed and they wanted 50% of any future transfer profit. That was never going to happen as we were paying a fee for Ivan as well, so we settled on 30%. We paid Newcastle a transfer fee of £350k spread over three years.

"We have received £10 million so far from Brentford and we will receive X amount – I’m not allowed to say the number – of any future profit and Newcastle will receive 30% of what we get from us. We earn money every time Ivan moves and so do Newcastle. That’s how these deals are structured and I’m all for it. It’s like a chain reaction and it’s the best thing.”