Chelsea eyes Toney as striker agrees contract with Saudi club
Chelsea is reportedly ready to target Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The England international has been open about wanting to leave the Bees for months now. Brentford brass previously slapped an asking price of nearly $80 million on their prize asset. Nevertheless, a lack of interest has forced the Bees to lower their demands.
Toney’s price tag recently dropped to around $65 million and may eventually fall even further. Brentford essentially expected a bidding war for the forward during the summer transfer window. This, however, has not yet occurred.
So far, the only team to submit an official offer for Toney has been Al-Ahli. The Saudi Pro League club recently saw a proposal of about $46 million rejected by the Bees. Part of this fee also apparently included potential add-ons.
Despite the refusal, Ben Jacobs reported on Tuesday that Toney has agreed to a contract with Al-Ahli. The deal was worth more than the actual transfer fee offered to Brentford. According to the reporter, Toney agreed to a three-year deal with the Saudi side totaling nearly $67 million. As the player has given the green light, Al-Ahli is expected to up their offer to the Bees.
Chelsea plans to hijack Al-Ahli’s deal for Toney
The Saudi team is attempting to move quickly with the deal for Toney to fend off any late move from a top European club. This worry seems to be a legitimate concern. Sky Sports is now claiming that Chelsea is making a late move for the English center-forward.
The Blues have been in the market for just about every single position on the pitch. Todd Boehly and company have continued their splurge by purchasing 11 new players during the summer transfer window. Despite this, they have not yet brought in a new number nine.
New head coach Enzo Maresca has deployed Nicolas Jackson in the position for both Premier League matches this season. The striker managed to score a goal and add an assist in the club’s demolition of Wolves at the weekend. Nevertheless, Chelsea has always hoped to sign a new striker this summer.
While an official bid from Chelsea for Toney has not yet happened, the Blues are expected to soon submit a proposal. Sky reporter Kaveh Solhekol even claims that there is a “pretty good chance that the move will be successful.”
A potential Chelsea deal would allow Toney to stay in London
Assuming Chelsea does at least match Al-Ahli’s offer, Toney may then have to make a major decision. The aforementioned contract from the Saudi side will almost certainly be higher than what the Blues can offer. However, opting for Chelsea would allow the striker to stay in London with a Premier League team. This specific choice is something that Toney reportedly prefers.
The ongoing rampant instability at the West London club could prove to be an issue though. Players are bought and sold at an alarming pace under new ownership. It remains to be seen if star players will eventually resist moves to Chelsea to avoid any potential future headaches.
On the Brentford side of things, they desperately need to sell Toney before the end of the month. The striker is in the last year under contract with the club. He has also been left out of the team’s squad for the opening two games of the campaign. The Bees are hoping that they can offload the forward as quickly as possible.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.