Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly held talks over signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January transfer window.
Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban after he pleaded guilty to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s rules on betting and is unable to represent Brentford until January 17, 2024.
The 27-year-old returned to training with the Premier League club, but just days after returning to football, he is already being linked with a move away.
That's according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that both Arsenal and Chelsea have already made enquiries into the Englishman."The Premier League is the priority of the player," Romano said on his YouTube channel.
"Chelsea are well informed of the situation of the player but also Arsenal are well informed on the conditions of a potential deal.
"Both clubs have asked for information. At the moment we can guarantee that both Chelsea and Arsenal are informed of the situation."
The report follows Toney's rather flattering comments about the Gunners during an episode on the Diary Of A CEO podcast.
After admitting he was a Liverpool fan, Toney also revealed his admiration for Arsenal and their fanbase.
“I have been a Liverpool fan my whole life, but I have liked Arsenal," the forward said. "I like watching Arsenal and how they play and kind of how passionate the fans are."However, Toney isn't expected to come cheap. During the summer transfer window, reports claimed that Brentford were demanding £80 million in order to part ways with the forward, who scored a mightily impressive 20 Premier League goals last season.
Although Brentford boss Thomas Frank admitted on Monday that he would be open to selling Toney for the "right price".
"I understand why there are a lot of rumours out there about him," Frank said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
"For me he’s one of the best strikers, as a striker No.9, I don’t see many out there who is better in the world than him, of course you have [Harry] Kane, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Erling] Haaland and these types, but not many.
"He scored 20 goals in the Premier League last year, in, of course, a very good Brentford side but of course we are not creating as many chances as the top six or seven teams."
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