Brentford director gives Ivan Toney transfer update | OneFootball

Brentford sporting director Phil Giles insists he’s received no contact over Ivan Toney for years, despite the reports of transfer interest.

Ivan Toney has regularly been linked with a transfer away from Brentford in recent months, with media reports of interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal on a near-daily basis.

Yet Brentford sporting director Phil Giles has told BBC Radio 5 Live he’s never had a single call about buying the striker.

“I’ve never had one phone call in three-and-a-half years about Ivan Toney, in terms of interest in buying him,” Giles said (via Football.London).

“My job is really easy because I get on with the day-to-day.

“I have a lot to do and spend less time worrying about Ivan’s situation than others. With Thomas [Frank], it’s [the case of] getting him ready, getting him fit, getting him some practice games in, and then the expectation is he’ll come back in the team.

“If my phone rings between now and then, I’ll see what’s happening. But I’m really not focused on that at all.”

Reports earlier this week suggested Chelsea have decided not to make a bid for Toney, primarily because the player has told close friends he’d prefer to join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Toney isn’t keen on moving to Chelsea, and that fact combined with his age (he turns 28 in March) has put them off.

But at this stage, it doesn’t really seem to matter which clubs are in for Toney, as Brentford don’t want to sell anyway.

Sam Matterface recently reported for talkSPORT that the striker won’t be leaving Brentford in the winter window, and they’re still trying to tie him down to a new contract before his return from suspension.

The Athletic had previously written that Arsenal were interested in Toney, as they believed he’d provide a different option to the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

Toney is currently suspended from football due to breaching FA rules on gambling, but he’s back in training, and he’ll be able to play again in January.

The forward scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League games for Brentford last season, before his ban.