Arsenal ‘aware’ of £100m striker’s ‘desire to join’ as Romano gives two reasons deal could collapse
Arsenal are ‘aware’ of Ivan Toney’s ‘desire’ to join but a January deal currently ‘looks difficult’, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Toney has been strongly linked with Arsenal and Chelsea in recent months with both clubs believed to be interested in signing a striker.
It has been reported that Brentford have no intention to sell the England striker in January and would want at least £100million if it is going to happen.
The 27-year-old is currently suspended for breaking the Football Association’s gambling rules but is set to make his return next month.
This will be massive for Brentford who are currently without Bryan Mbeumo due to injury.
Despite the Bees’ desire to bring Toney straight back into the team, it has been reported that the player is eager to move to a bigger club and recently changed agents to help push through a transfer.
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The prospect of joining Arsenal is apparently exciting Toney and transfer expert Romano has confirmed that the Gunners are ‘aware’ of this.
Writing in his CaughtOffside column on Tuesday, the Italian journalist said: ‘Ivan Toney is another player linked with Chelsea, but also with Arsenal.
‘It’s not an easy deal because Brentford want important money or else they are more than happy to keep the player until the end of the season.
‘I reported yesterday that Toney would be interested in joining Arsenal. Of course Arsenal are aware of Ivan Toney’s stance. It’s not about him telling Arsenal that he wants to join them, but of course they know the player would like to join.
‘But there’s still the price tag issue as we said many times. Also, Toney has always very respectful to Brentford so it depends on the clubs reaching an agreement.
‘It looks difficult for Arsenal because of Financial Fair Play, and of course they have David Raya on loan from Brentford, which could be another complication.
‘Arsenal are having internal discussions about signing Toney, but for Chelsea there is nothing advanced or concrete. For sure he’s one of the names on their list internally, but there is no negotiation because of the price.
‘It doesn’t look easy for either club.’
Gabriel Jesus has been excellent for Arsenal since joining from Manchester City last summer but his injury problems are a worry for Mikel Arteta.
Scoring goals is not Jesus’ forte, which is not ideal for a No. 9, but the way he leads the line and assists Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka is invaluable.
It is unclear if Toney will be able to offer the same all-around play as the Brazilian but it does feel like he will put the ball in the back of the net more often.
In 197 Premier League matches, Jesus has scored 72 goals, in comparison to Toney’s 32 in 68.
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