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Ivan Toney transfer price 'could drop massively' to tempt Arsenal and Chelsea
The door has opened for Arsenal and Chelsea to sign Ivan Toney in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal and Chelsea may be handed an opportunity to prise Ivan Toney away from Brentford as the Bees reportedly could slash his price tag by £40million at the end of the season. They previously declared that the England forward was worth a nine-figure fee but now run the risk of losing him for absolutely nothing.
The Mirror claim that although there is interest from Brentford’s two London rivals in Toney, they are baulking at the £100m valuation. Premier League teams are increasingly fearful of profit and sustainability rules that are threatening to outlaw big spending in the summer.
However, Brentford are preparing to lose Toney at the end of the campaign when he will have just one year left on his contract. They have eyed up the likes of Viktor Gyokores and Benjamin Sesko as replacements, but may no longer get the mega fee that they perhaps would have expected 12 months ago.
Both potential suitors are reluctant to reach £100m and see £60m as a more realistic figure to pay for the 27-year-old. Toney prefers a move to north London but Arsenal have been hamstrung by financial restrictions, while Chelsea have their sights set on a younger striker with more potential to spearhead Mauricio Pochettino’s attack.
Brentford softening their stance to the tune of a £60m asking price may tempt the pair back in, while Tottenham could still enter the race and bolster their strikeforce. Richarlison has impressed through the middle under Ange Postecoglou but has been plagued by injuries throughout the campaign.
The Bees have already made plans for life after their talisman, perhaps increasing the need to part ways with Toney. Last month they announced the signing of Igor Thiago from Club Brugge for a reported £30m fee, with boss Thomas Frank admitting that it was “relatively obvious” that Toney would depart in the summer.
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“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now," Frank said.
“He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team. This winter we actually had no offers for him, but it will surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”
But Brentford may have to compromise and take £40m off of their valuation should they want to tempt Arsenal and Chelsea into bidding and avoiding an awkward scenario of losing Toney on a free transfer.