Chelsea abandon their pursuit of Ivan Toney

Fabrizio Romano insists Chelsea could abandon the Ivan Toney pursuit, as they are not keen on the Brentford star’s age.

Fabrizio Romano on Caught Offside suggested Chelsea may abandon their pursuit of 27-year-old Arsenal target Ivan Toney. The reporter insists the Blues are probably looking at a different age profile than the Brentford striker, as they are already linked to Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen.

Chelsea to abandon Ivan Toney’s pursuit?

Fabrizio Romano thinks that way as he gave his two cents on the Chelsea striker’s pursuit ahead of the summer window. The Blues are in the market for a marquee No.9, with the likes of Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres considered some of their top targets.

Ivan Toney’s name has also come up in discussions and media links a few times, as Chelsea and Arsenal were linked with him in January. Brentford’s huge asking price may have put the London giants off their perch, with interest likely to remerge in the summer window when things are different.

Toney has the right profile to suit Chelsea and could compete with Nicolas Jackson for a place in the side next season. However, Romano insists that the age of the 27-year-old Arsenal target could create a problem for the Blues, owing to their recently adopted transfer policy since Todd Boehly took over.

Romano said, “I’m not sure Chelsea are that convinced on Ivan Toney anymore, I think they’ve started to look at different kinds of strikers in terms of age. Toney could be an option for Arsenal, but we’ll see.”

He added: “Manchester United will also be in the market for a striker – they have to decide internally if they want an experienced striker, and if so Toney could be a fantastic opportunity.”
Striker market is heating up

Should Romano’s prediction on Chelsea abandoning the Toney pursuit come to fruition, their links to Osimhen make more sense. Incidentally, Arsenal are well placed to sign Toney but are also interested in the other striker targets on Chelsea’s list, like Osimhen or Gyokeres.

Arsenal could pose a big problem for Chelse in their pursuit of top striker names, with the Gunners having an advantage in Champions League football. For instance, they recently scouted Gyokeres as he does fit their profile requirement.

In the next window, Chelsea will use their financial backing muscle away in the lead for some of their preferred top targets, like Osimhen. As for Toney, he might have to wait for interest to emerge, although Newcastle United are keen on the striker, as they might view him as a replacement for Callum Wilson.