Brentford might fight harder to keep hold of Ivan Toney this summer after new striker Igor Thiago suffered an injury in a pre-season friendly.
Thiago joined the Bees from Club Brugge earlier this month in a deal worth £30m.
The outlay on a forward seemed to signal that Brentford are ready to cash in on Toney, who has caught the interest of a number of big clubs.
However, Thiago’s start to life at the club could have got off to the worst possible start after he damaged his meniscus in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old, who scored twice in the game, is set to undergo further scans next week to determine the severity of the problem.
Meniscus injuries are always a source of serious concern with even minor ones leaving a player on the sidelines for a month or two.
A tear can mean four to six months on the sidelines and Brentford would be left without a recognised No 9 for most of the season in that case, should Toney depart.
Tottenham and West Ham are targeting Toney while Chelsea and Arsenal have cooled their interest.
Brentford had been looking for a fee in the region of £100m earlier this year but it is believed they are now open to a significantly lower offer.
Thiago notched 18 goals in 34 Jupiler Pro League outings last term – firing Brugge to the title.
He netted 15 in 32 for Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets in his first season in Europe.
