Arsenal must now pursue bargain 16-goal machine over Ivan Toney transfer in January

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Arsenal have long been linked with Brentford striker Ivan Toney, but they could find better value if they look elsewhere.

It firstly remains to be seen whether Arsenal will be able to spend significantly in January as a result of financial fair play, and they may prioritise a defender over an attacker.

However, if they are to sign a striker, Toney is an option they could consider, but he is likely to cost well over £60m.

Arsenal could sign a potentially cheaper, better and younger option in Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, and would be better off pursuing him instead.

Arsenal should target Boniface instead of Toney

Boniface joined Leverkusen for £17m this summer, and has been an instant hit, scoring 16 goals across all competitions as Xabi Alonso’s side remain unbeaten at the top of the Bundesliga.

Arsenal have now been linked with the 23-year-old, and it has emerged that the Nigerian star is an Arsenal fan, which could give them an advantage in any race to sign him.

Boniface joined from Bodo/Glimt, with whom he also had a strong goal record with 23 strikes in 66 games, and he may have the potential to explode in the future.

Ivan Toney would not be a good long-term investment

Toney has not appeared all season as he served a ban from football, so his ability to make an immediate impact may be low.

Spending what could be a massive fee on a 27-year-old could prove costly, as in the long-term, he may lose his pace and only offer Arsenal a few good seasons.

Toney already comes with a risk given his lack of action, and investing a huge fee into him could prove to be a mistake.

Boniface is four years younger than Toney, is in incredible form and has the potential to improve even further. He is also thriving in a possession-style side, alongside Granit Xhaka, whilst Toney may also need to adjust his style after years in a counter-attacking Brentford side.

It is unclear what kind of fee Boniface would be available for, but it would almost certainly be what Toney could cost, and the Leverkusen attacker would be the better investment and signing.

Arsenal have also been linked with a summer move for fellow Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, and a move for either Boniface or Toney right now would block that.

If given the choice, Boniface would last longer, potentially have a greater immediate impact and cost less than Toney would to Arsenal.