Arsenal have reportedly been told to pay up a transfer fee of £35 million if they wish to sign in-form Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the summer.
According to an exclusive report from Football League World, EFL Championship outfit Brentford have slapped a £35 million valuation on star man Ivan Toney amid serious transfer interest from Premier League giants Arsenal.
Toney, 25, came through the youth ranks at Northampton United before joining Newcastle United. His spell with the Magpies was largely spent away on loan as he had spells with the likes of Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town, Wigan Athletic, Scunthorpe United before joining Peterborough United on a permanent transfer in 2018.
Having enjoyed an impressive two-year stint with The Posh, during which he scored 49 goals in 94 games, Toney was snapped up by Brentford in the summer last year as a replacement for Ollie Watkins who joined Aston Villa. And the 25-year-old has thrived in his debut season with the Bees, leading their charge for a playoff spot finish.
So far in 2020/21, Toney has featured 39 times in the Championship, amassing a tally of 29 goals and 10 assists, sitting comfortably at the top of the goalscoring charts in the competition. The former Newcastle United man’s form hasn’t gone unnoticed with Arsenal among a number of Premier League clubs expressing an interest in signing him.
As things stand, Arsenal have three senior centre-forwards in the form of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah. All three haven’t been at their best this season, and with the latter two entering the final year of their contracts, the Gunners are considering the possibility of offloading them at the end of the campaign.
Given Aubameyang’s faltering form, there have been murmurs that Mikel Arteta & co. could listen to offers for him as well. Even though it is extremely unlikely that all three strikers will leave, bringing in a new centre-forward is something that Arsenal must look at, if they are to emerge out of their current malaise and push for Champions League football again.
To that end, they have been linked with a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, although Leicester City are leading the chase for the 23-year-old. So, someone like Toney, who has been in red-hot form this season can be considered a viable alternative for Arsenal. And they now know what it will take for them to be able to land the Englishman.
As per the report, Brentford have placed a £35 million price tag on their star striker, who is also attracting interest from West Ham and Leeds United heading into the summer transfer window. While that sum wouldn’t exactly be out of reach for Arsenal, they may have to offload some players in order to make room for new arrivals before next season.
It now remains to be seen if Arsenal push ahead with their interest in Toney or move for alternate targets such as the aforementioned Edouard of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Portuguese star Andre Silva.