Ivan Toney begs Brentford to make Arsenal, Chelsea transfer easier; striker ‘shocked’ at his own price tag

Ivan Toney wants Brentford to put a release clause into his contract if the Arsenal and Chelsea target agrees to extend his deal with them, according to a report.

Despite not being able to play in the first half of the season, Toney is attracting plenty of interest ahead of the January transfer window and his return to action after a betting-related ban.

Arsenal are being heavily linked with Toney as they look for a more reliable centre-forward, while Chelsea have occasionally been mentioned as contenders for his signature as well.

TEAMtalk recently revealed that Toney has asked to leave Brentford in January.

Brentford are believed to be against the idea of selling Toney just as he returns, though, despite that meaning he could enter the final year of his contract by the end of the season.

To avoid that scenario, Brentford are eager to tie Toney down to a new deal. On that front, talkSPORT claims they are confident the 27-year-old will sign a contract extension.

However, a separate report from 90min has claimed that Toney is demanding Brentford put a release clause into his proposed new deal.

That way, Brentford would not be able to stand in his way of an exit if someone like Arsenal or Chelsea met his valuation.

As things stand, Brentford have been asking for £80m to consider selling Toney, per 90min – which adds that the player himself is ‘shocked’ by that request.

The value of a potential exit clause remains to be seen, but if Toney is going to put pen to paper, it would theoretically have to be more reasonable.

Toney in line for Brentford pay rise

A new contract would also allow him to earn a better salary than at present for the remainder of his Brentford career.

Toney has played for the Bees since 2020, when they bought him from Peterborough United. He has scored 68 goals from 124 appearances for the club.

During his time in west London, Toney has helped Brentford reach the Premier League and consolidate their status there, before also becoming a full England international.

At the age of 27, though, he knows time might be running out for him to take the next step of his career and try and prove himself for a more established side.

Some pundits even think he is good enough to help Arsenal turn Premier League title dreams into a reality, even though he has never played for a club with those ambitions before.

The only way to prove if he is up to the task or not will be to join them, so the focus will soon turn to what kind of price Arsenal are willing to put down for him.

Their current strikers are Gabriel Jesus, who was a £45m investment from Manchester City in 2022, and academy graduate Eddie Nketiah.

One of Toney’s concerns is that Arsenal and Chelsea both have other targets on their shortlists, so if Brentford do not drop their demands, he may become less of a priority for those suitors.

Should the terms of his exit become clearer – and more palatable – though, Toney might get his exit wish after all.

READ MORE – Exclusive: Brentford battling Palace, Bournemouth for Liverpool nemesis who could replace Ivan Toney