Chelsea are weighing up whether to make an offer for Brentford’s Ivan Toney as they attempt to sign a striker before Friday’s transfer deadline and have held talks with Manchester United over a swap involving Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho.
Toney has emerged as a potential solution for Chelsea after they failed to reach a breakthrough in talks with Napoli over Victor Osimhen. It is understood that although the Nigeria striker is keen on the move, Chelsea are not willing to match his high wage demands. Napoli are close to signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea on a permanent deal.
Toney was left out of Brentford’s matchday squad for the second week in succession after they rejected an offer of £35m from Al-Ahli. It is understood he has been offered a contract by the Saudi Arabian club worth a reported £16m a year but would prefer to stay in the Premier League.
Brentford are thought to want £50m for Toney, who has less than a year on his contract and has made no secret of his desire to leave. Chelsea are expected to test their resolve by making an initial offer significantly below the asking price, and Toney would be expected to fit into their strict wage structure.
It remains to be seen whether other Premier League clubs are tempted to join the race for Toney, who has been linked with United and Arsenal in the past.
Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, has made clear that signing a striker is his priority, although the club are also attempting to move on the high earners Sterling and Ben Chilwell. Chelsea are open to taking Sancho on loan from United and sending Sterling in the opposite direction and held discussions on Tuesday over a possible deal.
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Sancho, who is five years younger than Sterling, is also of interest to Juventus. Chilwell could also be offered as part of a move for Sancho.