Arsenal
Premier League • England
Exclusive: Arsenal plot £50m Ivan Toney bid to tee up dramatic deadline day battle with Chelsea
Arsenal are preparing to launch an offer for Brentford striker Ivan Toney as they look to beat Chelsea to his signature, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.
Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a new striker to replace Eddie Nketiah, whose £30m move to Crystal Palace is set to be officially announced very soon.
Toney has been heavily linked with Arsenal throughout the summer but up until today, they had not made any concrete movements towards signing him.
The favourites to sign the England international were Chelsea up until just a couple of hours ago. As we exclusively revealed, Chelsea are planning to launch a bid of £50m for Toney IF they miss out on top striker target Victor Osimhen.
Chelsea remain in talks with Napoli for Osimhen and the Italian club expects him to leave. However, the Blues face serious competition from Saudi club Al-Ahli for his signature.
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Sources have informed TEAMtalk that Chelsea WILL sign a new striker before the transfer window slams shut and they ‘expect it to be Toney or Osimhen.’
But Arsenal could now scupper Chelsea’s pursuit of Toney as they plan their own bid for him in a dramatic twist.
Sources: Arsenal ‘seriously considering’ Ivan Toney bid
Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Arsenal are ‘seriously considering’ a bid of £50m for Toney before the window closes.
The Gunners have held talks with Toney’s agents CAA Stellar today (Thursday) and the player is open to the prospect of joining the North Londoners.
The 28-year-old notched an impressive 21 goals in 2022/23, while last term an eight-month suspension for gambling breaches disrupted his progress.
Toney is undoubtedly a top player on his day and if he can rediscover his best form at the Emirates, he could be an excellent signing for Arsenal.
Brentford expect the striker to leave before the transfer deadline and a £50m offer would match their valuation.
TEAMtalk can confirm that Chelsea and Arsenal’s interest in Toney is concrete. Manchester United are also admirers of his, but it’s unclear how much they’d be willing to spend on him.
The Red Devils have spent most of their transfer kitty on Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte and several more sales would be required so they can afford Toney.
Interestingly, Man Utd have been linked with a late move for Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who would be a cheaper option than Toney and has entered the final 12 months of his contract.
Everton are reluctant to sell the centre-forward and would only do so if they bring in a replacement.
Interestingly, TEAMtalk understands that Brentford could make a move for Calvert-Lewin if they do sell Toney, as expected.
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