Chairman tells Man Utd which summer transfer target will make them instant Premier League title contenders

England international Ivan Toney has the ability to transform Manchester United into Premier League title contenders once more. That's the belief of Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony, who knows the striker better than most having had him for two seasons at London Road before selling him on to Brentford.

Toney has gone from strength to strength since that transfer and he is being strongly linked with another move this summer with the likes of United and Arsenal being touted as potential destinations. The forward has made no secret of his desire to test himself at a higher level and MacAnthony, whose club reportedly stand to benefit from any transfer should Toney move on due to a sell-on clause, believes he could be the ideal signing for a club like United, helping them to take the next step.

“Put him in an Arsenal team, put him in a Liverpool or a Man United team," MacAnthony told Sky Sports. "He scores 30 Premier League goals in a season. I think anyone who disagrees with that hasn’t been watching the last two-and-a-half years.

“I think there’s five clubs in the world who could probably end up buying him, and he will improve any of those clubs by a mile. He turns Manchester United into challengers for the Premier League.

He continued: “Having scouted players not just for their technical ability but their personality and their growth for 18 years, I think he’s not even in his prime even though he’s turning 28.

“Whoever buys him, £100m will be well spent because he’s coming into his prime. You’re going to get five or six years of his best. He’s scored a goal every other game in the Premier League for Brentford.”

United are known to be looking for a striker this summer as Jim Ratcliffe looks to make his mark in his first transfer window at Old Trafford.