Fabrizio Romano now shares the potential fee Arsenal will have to pay to land ‘remarkable’ target

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Arsenal have now been strongly linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

It has been reported in recent days that Arsenal and London rivals Chelsea will battle it out to sign the 27-year-old, either in the coming January transfer window or next summer, with the player desperate to join a bigger club.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has previously claimed that he values the forward, whom he has described as “remarkable,” at around £100m, but Arsenal should be able to sign him for a lot less than that.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Toney will cost between £50m and £60m, whether he moves in January or at the end of the season.

“He (Toney) appointed recently new agents Stellar Group, to take care of his future,” he stated.

“Chelsea are well informed on the situation of Ivan Toney, same for Arsenal, but the race remains absolutely open.

“It’s too early to know where Toney will go, but for sure, the opportunity for the Brentford striker to join an important club in 2024 we’re going to see if it’s going to be January transfer window or summer transfer window.

“It also depends on who wants to pay what Brentford want, they want something around 50 to 60 million pounds for the striker.”

Is Toney overpriced?

Toney’s contract expires in 2025, meaning that Brentford are almost certain to sell the player before he leaves for free, and the player is desperate to leave.

At 27, Toney will be in his prime years. This represents a different kind of transfer to Gabriel Jesus, who joined for a lower fee at a younger age, having also proven himself at a higher level.

Jesus is Arsenal’s first-choice striker and is younger and is arguably a superior player to Toney. Spending a huge fee on Toney who will likely not be a starter ahead of Jesus would be a big gamble, and Toney would be a signing for the short term.

This is perhaps a deal that Arsenal should stay away from. If Arsenal are to enter the market, they should focus on bringing in a marquee name or a long-term option.

Toney fulfils neither of these desires and given that Mikel Arteta already has a lot of attacking options at his disposal, signing Toney in January feels like an unnecessary move.