Brentford will demand “around £100m” for Chelsea target Ivan Toney this month, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.

Speaking on NBC Sports, Ornstein said that the likelihood of the England international moving clubs during the January transfer window is pretty low, unless a team is unwilling to pay well over the odds:

“It’s going to be around £100m that Brentford want. Who’s going to be prepared to pay that? Maybe someone will panic and try but I’m not hearing of any movement or even proper contact at this point in time.”

Toney’s contract at Brentford expires in 18 months’ time so it looks as though his club is pricing him out of a transfer.

Ornstein suggests a move next summer, or even on a free transfer when his deal runs out in 2025, are the more likely scenarios currently.

Why are Brentford asking for so much money?

There are a couple of possible reasons that Toney’s price tag is so high. Firstly, there is a good deal of competition for the 27-year-old, with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United having also been credited with an interest in the striker.

In addition, Brentford look like they could be drawn into a relegation battle, and they may feel that keeping Toney around to guarantee the club’s top-flight status may be the best thing to do. Being relegated would cost the club more money than they would receive by selling their best player.

What other strikers could Chelsea pursue?

Both Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres are known to be on the Blues’ radar but neither of them will be available on the cheap either.

Osimhen’s new contract has a €130m (£112.6m) release clause, which Napoli would want any interested team to pay. Gyokeres’s buyout fee, meanwhile, is reportedly €100m (£86.6m).