Chelsea are reportedly the front-runners in the race to sign England international Ivan Toney in January, with Mauricio Pochettino feeling that the Brentford striker would be an ideal fit for his side.
According to London World, Chelsea are leading the race to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who has recently changed agents and is “angling for a move” to Stamford Bridge despite interest from other top Premier League clubs.
Less than two weeks after the summer transfer window closed, it appears that Chelsea have already begun planning what moves to make in January. The Blues have been known to flex their financial muscles ever since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
However, current co-owner Todd Boehly has not skipped a beat, despite only taking over the club a little over a year. And the American businessman has overseen the lavish spending of over £1 billion on transfers.
Despite the fireworks in the transfer market to bolster Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, they are still arguably lacking in attacking areas. They signed two first-team strikers this past summer. Nicolas Jackson has led the line but has so far been unable to show his prolific side in front of goals, while fellow summer signing Christopher Nkunku is already out of action for through a long-term injury.
Centre-forward has been something of a problem for Chelsea for a while now. Players like Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner have been prolific elsewhere but have struggled to replicate those talents at Stamford Bridge in recent years.
It has been widely reported that Chelsea will re-enter the market for another new striker in January. And it seems Mauricio Pochettino may have found his ideal man to get the goals flowing once again at Stamford Bridge.
London World are reporting that Chelsea have identified an Englishman as one of their main striker targets, with Brentford striker Ivan Toney at the top of Pochettino’s wishlist. The Blues are understood to be laying the groundwork to sign him in time for when his ban ends in January after turning down a chance to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic over the summer.
Toney remains one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League, despite not making a single appearance for the Bees this season. Of course, he is currently serving an eight-month ban from football for breaches of FA betting rules.
Toney has been excellent for Brentford since joining the club from Peterborough in 2020, helping fire them to promotion in his debut season. He has also seamlessly made the step up to the Premier League, hitting 32 goals in 66 top-flight outings for Thomas Frank’s side.
Unsurprisingly, Toney has been linked with big moves away from the Brentford Community Stadium and recently joined super agent Jonathan Barnett’s CAA Stellar agency. He also spoke openly of his interest in joining a big club in an appearance on The Diary Of A CEO podcast last month, name-dropping Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United as sides he likes.
Also Read: Chelsea Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023
However, Chelsea are currently at the front of the queue to land Toney’s services. The report also adds that the Brentford hitman is Pochettino’s ideal choice as he is English, at the right age and proven in the Premier League.
