Arsenal are now stepping up their pursuit of long-term target Ivan Toney, a player Mikel Arteta believes can take the club to the next step.
That’s according to Mirror Football who also claimed that Brentford hold a £60m asking price for Toney.
The report also protests that Arsenal may have pushed to sign Toney in the summer were it not for his ban.
And Arteta’s main motivation behind the move is seeking a physical presence in his attack that can score 20 goals a season.
Of course, in Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal do have two strong options.
However, there have been doubts over the ability of either striker to be a consistent goal scorer.
Jesus has a lot of facets to his game, and fans will think that he could compliment the arrival of Toney.
Nketiah on the other hand, may be left in the cold if the ‘absolutely perfect’ Brentford man does arrive.
Arteta has proved that he’s willing to be ruthless with his decision making, and it seems he now believes Toney can take Arsenal forwards.
Arteta may look to bring Toney to Arsenal in January
Of course, Toney’s trajectory from the lower leagues has been an interesting one.
Let go by Newcastle, Toney is now coveted by some of the best clubs in the world.
And despite his previous spat with the Arsenal squad, he may now be a key figure in Arsenal’s future.
Toney’s asking price doesn’t seem an unreasonable one in today’s market, and the 27-year-old may be deemed good value by Arsenal.
Chelsea and Tottenham are also reported to be keeping tabs on a deal.
Moreover, Brentford do know that Toney is keen on moving to a bigger side and he does now have 18 months remaining on his contract.
If reports are to be believed, Ivan Toney could be a realistic option to take Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal forwards in the coming years.
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