£100m striker now really ‘likes the idea of moving to Arsenal’ in January window

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It is thought that Brentford striker Ivan Toney is keen to join Arsenal this month.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Ivan Toney for some time. 

Toney made his return to Premier League action after an eight-month absence due to a ban for breaching betting rules on Saturday. The 27-year-old announced his return with a goal, as he found the back of the net with a free kick to help Brentford on their way to a 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest.

Brentford will surely be desperate to keep Toney, at least until the end of the season, as Thomas Frank’s side are in real danger of being dragged into a relegation battle as things stand.

However, Toney has refused to commit his immediate future to the club. The once-capped England man is clearly open to a move in the current January transfer window. Speaking to Sky Sports, he recently said, “I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club. Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”

Paying the “right” money is the key issue here. Brentford won’t allow Toney to come to the Emirates Stadium cheaply, as they are thought to want £100 million for the striker. 

Can Arsenal sign Ivan Toney this month?

It is hard to imagine the Gunners stumping up that kind of cash this month, as they only have a limited transfer budget at their disposal.

Player power is another big factor in the modern game, though, and if Toney decides to push for a move himself then that could make all the difference. Journalist Dean Jones certainly believes that the forward wants to join Mikel Arteta’s squad, though he admits a summer move is more likely.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said, “the most probable outcome is that it is the summer window in which he moves. I genuinely do believe he likes the idea of moving to Arsenal. I think that, reading between the lines, we can quite easily see that he is open-minded about it.”

However, by the time the summer comes around, there may be better options on the market for Arsenal to consider. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been named as a potential target, whilst there is even talk of Arsenal plotting an ambitious move to sign PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe.

It is highly unlikely that Arsenal will sign Toney this month, and given the financial situation at the club the odds are against the Gunners bringing in any new striker at all. As such, for the rest of this season, Arteta’s focus must be on coaxing more regular goals out of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.