Barry Fry insists that "top clubs" from the Premier League are keeping tabs on Ivan Toney ahead of a potential summer move.

Fry - director of football at Peterborough United - is a man who knows Toney very well indeed, given the striker's excellent spell at the Posh.

Toney scored 24 goals in 32 games for Posh in League One last season, before sealing a move to Brentford in a deal worth up to £10million.

The 25-year-old has gone from strength to strength, scoring an exceptional 28 goals in 36 Championship appearances this season.

Toney is, perhaps inevitably, attracting interest from the Premier League, with speculation linking Arsenal, West Ham and Leeds with a move for the striker.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Fry insists that "top clubs" are still watching Toney in action ahead of a potential summer swoop, with some regretting not going in for him last summer.

He said: "He loves it at Brentford, he loves the lads, he’s a leader. I should imagine Brentford will have to sit him down and offer him a lot more of a lucrative that what he’s on now. I still think they will struggle to keep him.

"He could finish up with 30 league goals this year. All the Premier League clubs that I spoke to last year are regretting not signing him.

"There’s only a few that will be able to afford him, but I know for a fact that top clubs in the Premier League are watching him with interest for what he does. I’m sure he will be playing in the Premier League next year for somebody."

The Verdict

I think it's inevitable that Toney will be a Premier League player next season, even if Brentford don't win promotion under Thomas Frank this term.

The question is, who would be the best fit for him? Is he likely to be a regular starter for someone like Arsenal ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? I highly doubt it.

West Ham would be an excellent fit for him, though. They have come on leaps and bounds under David Moyes this season, and are just missing that potent goalscorer up top.

He'd be a class act in the Premier League, I feel.