Ex-Chelsea player Jason Cundy has backed his former club to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer.

The 27-year-old is expected to be given a long ban after admitting to placing bets but Cundy still believes that the Blues should consider the forward as a potential transfer target:

“Ivan Toney has his issues off the field with what’s happening with the betting situation he’s been charged with so let’s wait and see what happens there, but he’s a Chelsea centre-forward to me. The way he is, the way he looks, the way he plays. We need a platform. We need a rugged, hard, clever, intelligent footballer up front and he ticks a lot of boxes.”

There is no doubting Toney’s ability. So far this season, he has scored 17 goals in 26 appearances for the Bees, and he has been rewarded with an England call-up.

However, the prospect of a lengthy suspension would make any bid for the player a substantial risk. There are no guarantees that he will be available for the start of next season.

Chelsea are likely to have Toney among their list of options but other names will also be considered. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic have been mentioned as possible candidates and it remains to be seen which player the club prioritise as their number one target.