Enquiry made: PIF eyeing Newcastle swoop for £40m "lion", he's a huge Wood upgrade - opinion

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United‘s pursuit of Ivan Toney heading into the summer transfer window…

The Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards has claimed that the Magpies have been quoted fees in excess of £40m for both the Brentford centre-forward and Everton’s Dominic Calvert Lewin.

PIF are seemingly interested in both players and have now learned their valuations after enquiring about their potential availability ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Magpies must secure a deal to sign Toney from the Bees this summer, as he would be a huge upgrade on Chris Wood.

Newcastle reportedly paid £25m to sign the 30-year-old from Burnley and he ended the Premier League campaign with five goals and zero assists in 34 appearances for both clubs combined.

For £15m or so more, the Toon can sign a player in Toney who produced 12 goals and five assists in 33 outings in the same division. These statistics show that he was far more productive than the New Zealand international and will now cost less than double what the club paid for Wood.

The Brentford man enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in the top flight and has previously earned plaudits from his manager.

Bees boss Thomas Frank once said: “Ivan is very intelligent, because he’s reflecting, and he deserves a lot of praise himself for also coming into a well-run club and listening to all the small bits and adding extra layers to his development and performance.

“If you want to be a top player you need to work hard, constantly reflect and want to learn and then of course you need to have that confidence that he’s got so naturally. He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion.”

These comments indicate that Toney has the right mindset to keep