Brentford are holding firm on their £60m asking price for West Ham target Ivan Toney, according to HITC Football.
The website claims that the Bees are keeping to their valuation despite the fact that the England international is closing in on the final year of his contract.
Toney is being pursued by several other Premier League clubs in addition to the Hammers. The likes of Manchester United and Tottenham retain a strong interest in the striker.
Arsenal and Chelsea are also known to have kept tabs on him, but they have since moved on to other targets.
How much are West Ham willing to spend on Toney?
HITC report that interested teams value the 28-year-old closer to £40m, so the Irons would probably table an offer nearer to that figure if they do choose to step up their pursuit of the forward.
There is likely to be a lot of brinkmanship going on. Clubs know that Brentford will have to sell Toney before the end of the summer or they will risk losing him for nothing next year.
In that context, it would not be a surprise if West Ham and other teams wait until sometime in August to make a bid.
Which other strikers are the club looking at?
Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy has been on the club’s radar since January, but Borussia Dortmund are currently favourites to sign the Guinean.
Alternatives such as Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesryi, Roma’s Tammy Abraham and Celta Vigo’s Morgen Strand Larsen have been considered.
With the club having splashed out more than £25m on Palmeiras right winger Luis Guilherme, though, there is also a possibility that Jarrod Bowen will be used as a striker on a more regular basis. However, fans would still much prefer a new no.9 to be brought in.
