Ivan Toney heads for Saudi medical despite Osimhen agreement but late twist could emerge

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has seemingly snubbed potential moves to Chelsea and Manchester United after Brentford accepted a £35million offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for his signature.

TT understands that Toney is bound for Saudi Arabia for his medical ahead of the high-profile switch after also agreeing personal terms.

Toney’s move is on the brink, despite separate reports that Al-Ahli are also close to securing the signature of major Chelsea target Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

The Serie A side have an agreement in place to offload the prolific frontman to the Saudi Pro League despite the player himself not giving the green light to what would what be a much more lucrative deal than Chelsea can offer him, due to their efforts to bring down the wage bill at Stamford Bridge.

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Toney, 28, is expected to sign a contract worth £400,000 a week with bonuses included, making him one of the highest-paid English players in football. The advantage for Saudi clubs too is that their window shuts a few days later on Monday September 2.

Brentford finally cashing in on Toney

Brentford had originally demanded £80m for the striker even after he was banned for eight months by the Football Association for breaching betting regulations. But with his contract set to expire in June 2025, the west London outfit have been forced to cash in.

Chelsea and United had both held discussions with their top-flight counterparts over a deal, but it seems Al-Ahli’s financial power has blown them both out of the water.

The one sticking point for Al-Ahli is that they only have one international spot left in their squad so they cannot sign both Toney and Osimhen.

But the fact that the former is on his way to the Middle East to complete his deal suggests that Nigeria star Osimhen could still be a transfer that is potentially in play for Chelsea before the window shuts.

Enzo Maresca is desperate to get another No.9 through the door before the 11pm deadline, so Osimhen to Stamford Bridge could still have some legs in it.

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