Toney completes Newcastle move

The 19-year-old has signed a long-term contract at St James’ Park having passed his medical this week after the Premier League side’s lengthy pursuit of the player finally culminated in a deal being agreed between all parties, six weeks after Newcastle first started tracking the youngster.

Cobblers boss Chris Wilder said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Ivan to go and join one of the biggest clubs in the country.

“Newcastle United are a huge club and to have a club like that sign Ivan is of huge credit to Ivan and Northampton Town.”

After completing his move, Toney said: “I’m happy to be here and very excited.

“The players here are a great standard and I can’t wait to get going and show what I’m all about.

“Being a young lad who is scoring goals in the Football League was a great thing. Now I want to progress here and eventually do it in the Premier League.”

Toney travelled to the north east last Friday and trained with the Magpies’ under-21s team under the watchful eye of former England striker Peter Beardsley.

He then watched from the St James’ Park stands on Saturday as Newcastle’s first team lost a pre-season friendly with German side Borussia Monchengladbach.

Toney, who also attended Newcastle’s open training session on Monday, is unlikely to be heavily involved in United’s first-team squad this season and will instead work with Beardsley and the U21s. He could also be loaned out.

Beardsley said: “We have been very impressed with Ivan already.

“He is a very good player, with great enthusiasm and a first-class attitude, and has all the attributes to have a bright future at the club.”

The official line is that the fee is undisclosed but it is thought to be worth around £300,000 plus add-ons.

A number of other clubs from the Premier League and the Sky Bet Championship had also registered an interest in Toney, who has scored 13 goals in 60 appearances for the Cobblers, but no official bids were received.

The move has been instigated by Newcastle’s chief scout Graham Carr, with the former Cobblers boss and player a regular at Sixfields.

Last week, Town boss Chris Wilder admitted it has been a difficult situation for Toney who saw a £500,000 move to Wolverhampton Wanderers collapse at the last minute last November.

Toney is the youngest player to have played for Northampton, making his debut as a 16-year-old in an FA Cup tie at Bradford City in November, 2012.

He was also handed his League debut by Aidy Boothroyd the following season, but it wasn’t until the back end of the 2013/14 campaign that he scored his first goal for the club, netting twice in a crucial 3-0 win at Dagenham & Redbridge.