Exclusive: Chelsea leapfrog Arsenal in Ivan Toney race; Gunners doubts over January deal revealed
Arsenal and Chelsea linked Brentford striker Ivan Toney
TEAMtalk can reveal that Arsenal would prefer to sign Ivan Toney next summer rather than in January, which comes as a boost for Chelsea in the race for his signature.
Mikel Arteta has made some impressive signings this season, bringing in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, David Raya (loan) and Jurrien Timber.
After spending over £200m on new players in the summer window, it’s thought that the Gunners would have to sell players before sanctioning any more major incomings in January.
In general, Arsenal haven’t been big spenders in the winter window during the Arteta era.
Although, they did spend a combined £60m (including add-ons) on Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho last January, as they aimed to lift the Premier League title.
Sporting director Edu is reluctant to spend that much again this winter, and therefore a highly-anticipated move for Toney may be put on hold.
As previously revealed by TEAMtalk, Toney has already told Brentford chiefs that he wants to leave the club in January, amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.
With Arsenal unlikely to make a move imminently, Chelsea are now the firm favourites to land the England international.
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Arsenal unlikely to bid for Toney in January
Questions have been raised by pundits recently over whether Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus are prolific enough for a title charge this season.
Nketiah did score a stunning hattrick against Sheffield United last weekend, but Arsenal have been linked with several top strikers recently, including Toney.
However, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that while Arsenal are interested in Toney, they would prefer to sign him next summer rather than in January.
As well as for financial reasons, it’s also thought that Arteta wants to see how he performs once he returns from his eight-month ban from football.
Toney did score 20 goals in the Premier League last season, though, so there is no doubt that he can be a top player on his day.
Toney could be a big signing for Chelsea
As for Chelsea, they are also keen to bring in a new striker, but may be more willing to splash the cash on Toney in January.
The Blues brought in both Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in the summer.
Jackson initially struggled to find his feet, but put in an excellent performance against Tottenham on Monday. He scored a hat-trick to hand Spurs their first defeat of the campaign.
Nkunku, on the other hand, is yet to feature in a competitive match for Chelsea due to an injury, and won’t return to action until December.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea make a concrete offer for Toney in January to try and beat Arsenal to his signature.
Todd Boehly has spent huge amounts on new players since taking charge of the London club, although he must be careful moving forward due to Financial Fair Play.
Brentford won’t let their star striker leave on the cheap, either. Previous reports suggest that the Bees could demand between £80m and £100m for Toney this winter.
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