Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Arsenal are well aware that top striker target Ivan Toney has made clear his wish to join them in January.
After missing out on the Premier League championship by just five points the previous year, the Gunners are once again very much in the running. In fact, Arsenal knows that a win over the Reds will secure them first position on Christmas Day going into this weekend’s pivotal match against second-place Liverpool.
Even while Arsenal’s challenge seems promising, there is a school of thought that contends that if they want to end their 20-year wait to win the English championship, they need a more consistent supply of goals up front.
Gabriel Jesus also only has seven goals in 18 appearances this season, despite finding the net during Sunday’s victory over Brighton. Additionally, Eddie Nketiah, who frequently fills in for him, has six strikeouts in 23 games.
Because of this, the Gunners are constantly connected to a new striker signing who may fulfil their dream of winning the title. One player that is frequently mentioned is Victor Osimhen; although he recently signed a new contract that places a £112 million exit clause on it, the cost still seems out of reach for Arsenal.
Additionally, Mikel Arteta was connected to a move this past weekend to Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth, who is having a fantastic season for Andoni Iraola’s team. In light of this, rumours surfaced on Monday indicating that the Cherries may consider a trade for Solanke that includes as many as four Arsenal players.
Romano assesses Arsenal’s prospects of acquiring Ivan Toney.
Toney, who will be able to play again for Brentford in January following an eight-month suspension for violating the FA’s betting restrictions, is the name that is most usually mentioned, though.
In order to facilitate a possible transfer, it is said that the Gunners are prepared to meet Brentford’s asking price, which is said to be in the region of £80 million.
Even if teams like Chelsea are rumoured to be interested, we exclusively disclosed on Monday that Toney is eager to move to Emirates Stadium.
However, Romano has now questioned Arsenal’s chances of a trade closing because the Bees are desperate to hold onto their prized asset until the summer at the latest.
But in an interview with Caught Offside, Romano reaffirmed Toney’s position about a January move.
Another player connected to Chelsea and Arsenal is Ivan Toney. It’s not an easy transaction because Brentford is willing to hold the player until the end of the season if they receive the significant money they demand, according to Romano.
“I mentioned yesterday that Toney might be considering a move to Arsenal. Arsenal is aware of Ivan Toney’s position, of course. Although Arsenal is aware that the player would like to join, it is not his intention to inform them of his desire to do so.
As we have stated numerous times, the issue of the price tag remains.
“It also depends on the clubs coming to an agreement because Toney has always shown Brentford a great deal of respect.”
Arsenal might need persuasive skills to recruit a striker for £80 million.
But if Brentford agrees to such terms will depend on a lot of things, chief among them being whether Thomas Frank’s team is able to find a successor of their own.
Nketiah of Arsenal is one such possibility they are reportedly considering in order to achieve this goal.
But earlier on Tuesday, we made public the player’s position towards leaving Emirates Stadium.
