Arsenal and Ivan Toney are on the same page when it comes to a potential January transfer.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Arsenal are keen to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the upcoming January transfer window. Equally, the forward himself is interested in making the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
However, it will apparently take a fee of around £80 million to convince the Bees to part with the 27-year-old this winter.
What’s more, signing Toney carries certain risks. The once-capped England international is currently serving a ban for breaching betting rules, and won’t be allowed to return to action until January. At that point, he will surley be woefully short on match fitness and sharpness.
Arsenal move for Toney a risk
If Mikel Arteta’s idea is to sign a goalscorer in January who can fire them to the Premier League title, then he needs someone who he can rely upon to hit the ground running. Given he will have been sidelined for so long by then, Toney is unlikely to be able to do that.
There is also an argument that Arsenal should hold out on signing a marquee striker until the summer, as they have been linked with a move for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen then, as reported by Football Transfers.
On the other hand, if Toney were able to find his best form quickly after his return to action, he could have a seismic impact on Arsenal’s season. There’s no doubting that he is a top talent, and he has already proven that he can be prolific in the Premier League.
Given he is also keen to be a part of Arteta’s squad, that could help Arsenal to negotiate Brentford’s asking price down. There is no guarantee of that, though.
In any case, a January move for Toney would certainly be a gamble for Arsenal, with a huge potential pay off, and a costly downside if it doesn’t work out as planned.
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