Major twist in Ivan Toney transfer saga as Arsenal, Chelsea target makes big decision on his future
Ivan Toney in action for Brentford
Brentford are reportedly ‘confident’ that Ivan Toney will sign a new contract in the near future, which comes as a major blow to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Both clubs had identified the England international as a key target as Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino look to bolster their striker options.
Toney is currently suspended from football until mid-January after being found guilty of betting breaches, but it’s no surprise to see top clubs queuing up to sign him.
The talented 27-year-old scored a very impressive 20 goals in the Premier League last season, with only Erling Haaland (36) and Harry Kane (30) scoring more.
Previous reports suggested that Toney could be made available for transfer in January after they allegedly slapped an £80m price tag on his head.
Arsenal and Chelsea have long been considered to be at the front of the queue for his signature.
However, it now seems that the London duo could find it even more difficult than initially anticipated to get a deal done for the Bees’ top talisman.
Brentford ‘confident’ of new Toney contract
According to talkSPORT, Brentford are ‘confident’ that Toney will sign a new deal to ‘remain at the club.’
The striker’s current contract expires in 2025, and the report agrees that he has ‘strong interest from Arsenal and Chelsea’
However, it’s stated that the Bees have ‘no intention to sell Toney in January’ and a new deal would ‘significantly strengthen Brentford’s position in the transfer market when it comes to Toney.’
This comes after Thomas Frank admitted in September that he could see Toney playing for a ‘top team’ in the future.
“Imagine him in a top team, he’d easily score 20, 25 goals, for me,” Frank said.
“I think he’s composed, he’s a good finisher, top mentality, so I understand why clubs are looking at him.”
The report suggests, though, that Arsenal and Chelsea will have absolutely no chance of signing Toney this winter, contrary to other reports.
It does not rule out a transfer after that, but any new contract would only increase the fee that any of his potential suitors would have to pay to sign him in future.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Brentford are successful in tying down Toney to a new deal before January, as talkSPORT suggest.
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