Brentford set shockingly low Ivan Toney asking price with Chelsea and Arsenal set for striker transfer tussle
But Mikel Arteta still might struggle to pay the price for the striker
BRENTFORD have set a shockingly low asking price for Ivan Toney despite a high level of interest in the striker, a report claims.
The suspended star is wanted by a number of Premier League sides including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Toney, 27, was banned from football for eight months after being found guilty of 232 betting offences in May.
He is not due to return to the pitch until the middle of January, but the Sun revealed he has been training with Brentford after striking a secret deal with the FA.
But Toney’s inactivity has not stopped top Premier League teams from trying to snatch him from the Bees mid-season.
It seems he will, at least, stay in the capital with title-chasing Gunners and Spurs as well as Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues all keen.
However, even with the huge amount of interest, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported on the that the deal can be sealed for just £65million.
That’s despite a fee of around £80m being suggested before Toney’s betting issues came to light.
Toney – whose contract expires in 2025 – has been the Bees’ key man since their promotion to the Premier League, scoring 32 goals over the past two seasons, including 20 last campaign.
But boss Thomas Frank admitted they could cash in in January.
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Speaking last month, he admitted: “We are a selling club, if the right price is there, if it’s the right time for the player to go.
“If they have developed well with us, been on the journey and now they’re proven good enough to go to the top clubs, then it’s the right thing.”
Toney’s end destination is unclear as Mikel Arteta is desperate to add a traditional No9 to his squad in order to fight for the league title.
But the Spaniard is reluctant to spend big bucks after his splurge this summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
Chelsea are not just keen on Toney, but Napoli‘s Victor Osimhen too as they bid to recover from their poor start to the season.
Tottenham have been the surprise package of the season so far, sitting unbeaten and top of the Premier League after nine games.
However, they remain on the lookout for a goalscorer to replace Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich in the summer.