This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United have been warned against splashing out on £35 million-rated Brentford striker Ivan Toney. 

The Whites are one of a number of sides to be linked to the in-form forward and, speaking to Football Insider, Jon Newsome suggested that it's not a move that they should make.

So, should he be a transfer priority for Leeds? Or should they look to spend their money elsewhere?

We quizzed our FLW writers on their thoughts...

Alfie Burns

Not at all, he’s someone I don’t think Leeds need at all.

We’ve been told that Toney is going to cost £35m this summer, which to my reckoning will be over 30% of Leeds’ summer budget.

Why on earth would they spend that on a player that’s going to have to justify starting over Patrick Bamford the minute he walks through the door?

Leeds do need some competition for Bamford, but I think that comes in the form of Tyler Roberts and Rodrigo, rather than through a fresh face.

Toney is a great striker, but he just doesn’t fit the profile of what Leeds need this summer.

Chris Thorpe

Absolutely, I don’t think there are too many clubs that wouldn’t want to sign Toney right now if truth be told.

He’ll obviously cost a considerable amount, but as we have seen he is worth the money and is a proven scorer.

The signing of the Brentford man would take some of the strain off Patrick Bamford up top and would add something different.

Leeds would be a making a real statement of intent if they managed to bring him in.

Jordan Rushworth

Toney seems like someone who could come in and add a new dimension to Leeds’ attack and he has the qualities needed to work well in Marcelo Bielsa’s system. He should therefore be someone they have a real look at this summer.

If Leeds would have had a forward as prolific as Toney in their side this season, then they could well have even pushed for European qualification in the Premier League. Having said that Patrick Bamford has still been a strong performer and would be hard to dislodge from the starting line-up.

The Brentford forward is not just a goalscorer, he can also link the play well in the final third and bring others in and around him into the game. That would make him suited to the way that Bielsa likes to get his forward players combining upfront.

However, it is likely that he will cost a lot of money to sign, and if Leeds’ budget is not the largest heading into the summer then maybe they should look at other potentially cheaper alternatives.