Manchester United have reportedly enquired about the availability of Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney ahead of the January transfer window, as Michael Carrick searches for cover for the injured Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko has been sidelined by a shin injury since 19 September, leaving United short at centre-forward at the worst possible moment. Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea underlined the problem, and United now head into Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Roma — previewed in our look at the Roma game — still without a recognised senior striker to lead the line.
An enquiry, not an offer
According to reporting first carried by CaughtOffside and summarised by SoccerNews on Monday, United have asked about Toney's situation as one of several attacking options being assessed for January. Sports Mole reported the same enquiry on Sunday, adding that United are giving consideration to a formal approach in the winter window.
That distinction matters. No fee has been attached to the enquiries, no offer has been reported, and Toney is described in the reports as one name on a list rather than the club's single chosen target. United had also considered Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but that pursuit is reported to have ended after it emerged Calvert-Lewin is in advanced talks over a new contract at Elland Road. Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta has also been linked with United in the same reporting.
Why Toney fits the brief
Toney, 30, knows the Premier League, knows where the goal is and would not need a settling-in period in the middle of a season. He left Brentford for Al-Ahli in August 2024 and is contracted to the Saudi club until 2028. Football Whispers' index, updated on 2 November, credits him with 12 goals in the Saudi Pro League this season and rates a January move to United as "possible".
The reports agree on Toney's stance: he is happy in Saudi Arabia, where he has kept his place in Thomas Tuchel's England thinking, but he would consider a return to England if the right opportunity presented itself. That openness is what keeps this story alive — without it, there would be nothing to enquire about.
United are not alone in watching him. Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are all credited with monitoring Toney's situation in the same reports, which means any January move could quickly become an auction United did not plan for.
So what — the wages are the deal
The obstacle is not Toney's ability or even Al-Ahli's willingness to talk. It is money. Football Whispers puts Toney's Al-Ahli salary at close to £420,000 a week — more, it notes, than United's top earner takes home. A permanent deal on those terms is not happening in January, which is why the reporting points towards a loan or an inexpensive short-term arrangement rather than a substantial fee for a striker who turns 31 in March.
That shapes everything that follows. If Sesko's return slips further, United's need grows urgent enough to get creative. If Sesko is back on schedule, a short-term Toney loan becomes a luxury the club can walk away from. Either way, United's other January needs — left-back cover among them, with Luke Shaw out and Patrick Dorgu's fitness a talking point this week, as our Dorgu update covered — compete for the same limited budget.
Beyond the Final Whistle: an enquiry for Toney is the right idea at the wrong price. He is exactly the kind of proven, penalty-box striker who could carry United through Sesko's absence, but a deal only makes sense as a loan with Al-Ahli covering a serious share of those wages. Pay anything close to £420,000 a week for cover, and United will have solved a two-month problem by creating a two-year one.
Would you take Ivan Toney on loan in January, or should United trust their returning strikers instead? Let us know in the comments.
