Arsenal and Chelsea may shy away from paying £100 million for Ivan Toney as Brentford threads on a difficult line with the striker’s future.
According to The Mirror, Arsenal and Chelsea are unwilling to pay £100 million for 27-year-old target Ivan Toney. Brentford and Thomas Frank have stuck with the price tag, although there are suggestions that they might find it challenging to sell the forward unless they lower their asking price.
Arsenal and Chelsea will not pay £100 million for Toney
Ivan Toney was a big subject of discussion ahead of the January transfer window, as Arsenal had heavy links with the striker. The 27-year-old was out of the game due to an eight-month betting ban. He has since returned in some style and maintains his scoring touch despite missing a lot of football.
His contract with Brentford ends in 2025, meaning the summer window might be the club’s best chance to cash in. However, Thomas Frank recently valued Toney at £100 million, and the club might back him on his stance. Should that be the case, then Arsenal and Chelsea might not want to pay that much, thus causing trouble to the Bees’ plans.
Arsenal have remained interested and might consider Toney part of a long list of potential striker targets. The 27-year-old has Premier League experience and is scoring prolifically at his side’s highest level. However, his age and ceiling may not appeal to the Gunners to make them pay over the odds.
Chelsea have also considered abandoning the chase should Brentford maintain their £100 million valuation of the 27-year-old target. The Blues are likely to be mindful of their spending next summer and will want to invest where they see a longer-term goal, something they feel Toney needs to offer in the current circumstances. Hence, the Blues and Arsenal are unwilling to pay over the odds for the Bees man.
Brentford are threading on a thin line with Toney’s future
Arsenal already have other targets like Victory Gyokeres, who incidentally also features on Chelsea’s list. Similarly, the Blues are intent on Victor Osimhen and might look to invest more than £100 million in a proven Nigerian star instead of Toney.
Considering those factors and Toney’s lower ceiling for the future, Brentford might be treading on a thin line with his future. In hindsight, they might cause harm to their chances of selling the player for a decent enough profit should they continue to demand £100 million while risking the forward leaving for free in 2025 if they fail to accept offers that are not close to their current valuation.
