Brentford would be willing to accept a £70m bid from Chelsea for Ivan Toney in the January transfer window, according to reports via football.london.
The Blues have been strongly linked with a move for the England international in recent months. However, Thomas Frank’s team will not let their star man go for cheap.
The Bees are reluctant to part ways with their talisman but football.london are carrying a report that claims Brentford would cash in and accept an offer of £70m from Chelsea this winter.
Chelsea are expected to make a move for a number nine in January. At the moment, Nicolas Jackson has had to shoulder the burden of the Blues’ attack but the Senegalese is still raw.
Also, the former Villarreal star will most likely not be available for selection between January and February. The Africa Cup of Nations is set to take place early next year.
As a result, Chelsea could turn their attention to signing a proven Premier League forward, and Toney fits that profile perfectly. The striker has come a long way since moving to the Bees from Peterborough United in 2020.
Toney’s goals helped Brentford gain promotion to the Premier League. Subsequently, the striker’s influence has been key in Frank’s team surviving the drop. In the previous campaign, the 27-year-old found the back of the net 21 times in 35 appearances in all competitions.
Chelsea need a goalscorer
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Chelsea manager this summer after an abysmal 2022/23 term. The Blues saw three head coaches come and go from their dugout. Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard were all unable to bring the best out of the squad.
However, while Chelsea were impressive during pre-season, the start of the new campaign has been poor. Pochettino has struggled without Christopher Nkunku in the team. It remains to be seen when Armando Broja will make a return to match fitness.
As things stand, Toney is banned until the start of next year after breaching FA betting rules. But Chelsea could opt to make a move for him when the transfer window reopens and he’d be an excellent addition to Pochettino’s squad if they could lure him to Stamford Bridge.
