North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly unwilling to meet Brentford’s valuation for England international Ivan Toney.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly unwilling to meet the asking price for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
The England international is currently serving an eight-month ban for breaching the Football Association’s betting regulations.
Although he has not played competitive football since May, Toney is expected to attract offers in the winter transfer window, with his ban set to expire in the middle of Janaury.
The in-demand striker netted 20 goals in 38 top-flight games, finishing as the league’s third-highest scorer behind Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
Having showcased his ability to be a prolific goalscorer in the Premier League, Toney is wanted by a number of top Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Tottenham.
© Reuters
While the North London rivals have identified Toney as a target, Fichajes is reporting that the two clubs are unwilling to meet Brentford’s valuation.
With the Bees are determined to retain Toney’s services, they will only entertain a sale if their €70m (£61m) asking price is met.
However, Arsenal and Spurs are not prepared to go that high and are keen to negotiate a lower fee with Thomas Frank’s side.
The two North London clubs may be mindful of the fact that Toney has entered the final two years of his contract, which expires in the summer of 2025.
© Reuters
Arsenal currently boast Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus as their main centre-forward options, although the latter continues to struggle with injury issues.
Jesus sustained his latest injury setback in Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Sevilla, ensuring he missed Saturday’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United – a game where Nketiah netted his first Premier League hat-trick.
Spurs, meanwhile, are still searching for a replacement for Kane, who completed a move to German champions Bayern Munich in the summer.
Son Heung-min has helped fill the void left by Kane, scoring eight league goals in 10 games to help Spurs make an unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Toney is also believed to be attracting interest from Chelsea, as they look to reinforce their forward line in the January transfer window.
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