Arsenal handed boost in pursuit of Ivan Toney as Brentford chief admits the £100m-rated striker could leave ‘very shortly’

• Toney has been strongly linked with a move ahead of his return next month 
• The striker has not played this season after his eight month ban from football
• Mikel Arteta booked again, other bosses getting yellows. If you are going to eradicate these ills, KEEP DOING IT, REFS! Listen to It’s All Kicking Off 

Arsenal have been handed a boost after a Brentford director admitted that Ivan Toney could be on the move ‘very shortly’. 

The future of the £100m-rated England striker has been hotly contested since the summer transfer window – despite his eight month ban from football for breaching FA betting rules. 

That ban is set to come to an end next month, and Brentford’s technical director Lee Dykes has admitted that he is expecting ‘lots of interest’ for the 27-year-old.

Speaking to the club’s media team, Dykes has hyped up the return of Toney who he calls ‘one of the top five strikers in the world’ and warned interested clubs they ‘will have to pay a decent transfer fee’. 

He said: ‘I am so excited for Ivan to come back because I see him out there in training and he is some player; it looks like he’s never been away,’ he says.

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of £100m-rated striker Ivan Toney

Brentford’s technical director Lee Dykes admitted he could leave the club ‘very shortly’

Your browser does not support iframes.

‘There’s a real ambition from him and I can see in his eyes that he’s going to be better than he’s ever been; I really believe that will be the case.

‘Yes, there will be lots of interest in Ivan in January. Naturally, there should be.

‘He was the third-highest Premier League goalscorer last season – one of them [Harry Kane] has gone to Germany now, so he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the division. He is in the top five in the world, in my opinion.

‘So there should be interest, and maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club.

‘But they will have to pay a decent transfer fee to acquire his services because he is some talent.’

Toney’s prolific form last season has also caught the eye of other suitors including Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea.  

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are in desperate need of attacking firepower, and are thought to be prioritising recruitments in forward positions when they enter the market.

Tottenham too could field an interest in the player, with former Spurs legend Teddy Sheringham urging Ange Postecoglou to consider beating their north London rivals to the transfer.

Mikel Arteta’s side appear to be in pole position though Brentford value him at £100m

But as per transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, they may have to find alternative options as Toney focuses his ambition elsewhere.

‘From what I’m hearing, this is one more detail on Ivan Toney,’ Romano shared on his Kick channel.

This is a rumour I’m hearing that his preference in terms of a top club move in January or the summer would be to go to Arsenal.

‘From what I’m hearing Ivan Toney could be really excited by the possibility of joining Arsenal.’

The 27-year-old previously appeared to hint at an Arsenal connection when he shared a post on Instagram celebrating Declan Rice’s late winner against Luton – before deleting it amid a flurry of speculation.

Other clubs including Chelsea (manager Mauricio Pochettino pictured) are keen on Toney

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, with a show every Monday and Thursday this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

Toney can return to competitive action on January 17, but has already taken part in a number of friendly fixtures, scoring twice in closed-door ties.

The Bees will be keen to cling on to their star striker after the loss of one of their lynchpin players due to injury.

Bryan Mbeumo has been sidelined for at least 12 weeks after picking up an ankle issue during a Premier League tie against Brighton, in a serious blow to Thomas Frank’s plans for the second-half of the season.

Source: Read Full Article