Chelsea have made the surprise decision “not to bid” for Brentford striker Ivan Toney when the transfer window reopens in the New Year, according to LondonWorld reporter Rahman Osman.
The journalist claims the Blues have opted against making an approach to sign the England international for two specific reasons.
Firstly, Toney has communicated to “close friends” that he would prefer a move to Arsenal. The Gunners are known to be keeping tabs on the forward, although there have been question marks about their ability to match Brentford’s asking price.
The Bees’ valuation differs depending on the report you read but it could be anything between £65m and £80m, which is a figure that may prove too much for Mikel Arteta’s side due to FFP.
Even so, Osman says there is a second reason that Chelsea have seemingly backed away: Toney’s age. The striker will turn 28 in March.
Chelsea do need to strengthen their forward line
If Toney isn’t brought in, the Blues will surely be exploring alternatives as their shot conversion rate has been very poor this season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have scored 22 goals in the Premier League but they have underperformed compared to their xG by 5.73 goals, which is the 3rd worst score in the entire division.
What other strikers are Chelsea looking at ahead of January?
The cooling of interest in Toney does tally with other reports over the weekend suggesting that the Blues are looking to step up their pursuit of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
There are, though, significant hurdles to overcome if they want to secure the Nigerian international’s signature. He will cost a lot more than Toney (maybe twice as much), and Napoli are said to be extremely reluctant to let him go before the end of the season.
