Brentford fear their new star striker Igor Thiago will be out for months with a knee injury.
The Brazilian was confirmed to have suffered a problem with his meniscus in the friendly against AFC Wimbledon on Thursday.
He will undergo further scans next week, but an initial prognosis is that he will be out for several weeks or even months, and will miss the start of the season.
It means Brentford will need Ivan Toney, whose contract is into its final year and had been expected to seek a move to a bigger club.
No serious interest is yet to emerge in the England international this summer and previous suitors such as Chelsea and Arsenal have moved on to other, younger targets.
There are a number of teams who admire Toney but also prefer the idea of signing him on a free transfer next summer, especially in the context of PSR restrictions.
Committing a fee of around £70m for any player is now a considerable decision even for the richest clubs, given they must find a way of balancing the books.
And it means clubs are likely to commit to such a fee only once in a transfer window, currently, unless they can sell another player for equivalent value.
Toney is 28 and his situation – being a top talent in his prime, with just a year left on his contract, yet likely to stay at his club – is seemingly the product of the current economic landscape in the game.
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
