Arsenal are tracking the progress of Ivan Toney after being impressed by his goalscoring exploits since joining Brentford last summer, according to the Express.
Toney spent time at Newcastle earlier in his career but made just two first team appearances and eventually joined Peterborough on a permanent basis having spent time out on loan at the likes of Barnsley, Shrewsbury and Wigan.
The 24-year-old really found his feet during a two-year stint at Peterborough where he scored 40 goals in 76 appearances for the League One club which earned him a move to Brentford last summer worth an initial £5m – although the deal would rise to £10m with add-ons.
Toney was given the unenviable task of replacing Ollie Watkins following his big-money move to Aston Villa but the striker has proven to be a real hit at Brentford having scored 16 goals in just 22 matches in the Championship so far this season.
It seems that excellent record has caught the eye of Arsenal chiefs as the Express claims the North London club are impressed by Toney’s potential and are now keeping a close eye on his progress at Griffin Park.
The newspaper says Arsenal won’t make any immediate move as Mikel Arteta isn’t in the market for a new striker this month but Toney could be viewed as a potential replacement for Alexandre Lacazette if he was to leave in the summer.
Lacazette is yet to sign a new contract – which has 18-months left to run – and Arsenal won’t be able to afford a big-money replacement for the Frenchman if they fail to secure qualification back to the Champions League next season.
Should they be forced to cash-in on the Frenchman this summer, then Arteta will need to find a suitable replacement on a budget and the Express suggests that Toney could emerge as a target for the Gunners if he continues to shine for Brentford.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but it would be a huge step-up in quality from the Championship to the Premier League so it would be a big risk for Arsenal to take a chance on Toney if they end up making a formal move this summer.
