Transfer expert claims £65m Arsenal, Chelsea target is ‘ready to leave’ PL club – ‘a big name to watch’ | OneFootball

Brentford's Ivan Toney and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins

According to reports, Arsenal and Chelsea have been made aware that England international Ivan Toney is looking to leave Brentford.

Toney – who scored 20 Premier League goals last season – is currently serving a betting ban but he is set to return to action at the start of January.

The striker may have already played his last game for Brentford as he is being heavily linked with a move to several Premier League clubs ahead of the winter transfer window.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is of the understanding that Arsenal and Chelsea know Toney’s “situation very well” as he is “ready to make a top club move in January”.

“Many clubs are keeping an eye on Ivan Toney, and he’s another big name to watch for January. Arsenal and Chelsea are informed on Toney’s situation, they know his situation very well and that he’s ready to make a top club move in January,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“It will depend on how much these clubs want to spend, because Toney will likely cost at least £60-65m to sign from Brentford. Let’s see if Chelsea decide to attack the situation, or if Arsenal go for him, or someone else, because, for example, we know Tottenham didn’t end up signing a direct replacement for Harry Kane in the summer, though they are very happy with their squad.

“In any case, Toney is absolutely ready to leave Brentford, so let’s see if it’s January or next summer, and of course, as always, let’s respect Brentford in this saga, because they will insist to receive important money for their star player.”

Earlier this month, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio explained why he does not think Toney is a “better option for a club like Arsenal”.

“I don’t think Toney is the better option for a club like Arsenal who play in a different way, so they need players with a different skill set. I’m not so sure he’s the right striker for the way Arsenal play,” Di Marzio told InsideSport.

“Everybody thought Tottenham had to replace Kane with another striker. They didn’t do that and now they are winning all their matches. So I don’t know if they will get a striker now.