‘Watch this space’: Arsenal have £65m player ‘on their radar’ for January transfer

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Arsenal are weighing up a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

According to The Mirror, Arsenal are keen to sign Ivan Toney in the upcoming January window. 

Journalist Paul Brown has now claimed, as quoted by GiveMeSport, that the north London club are keen to add a new striker to their ranks. He said Toney is “a player on Arsenal’s radar, and you might see them bid for him. So, I think he’s a watch this space on that one.”

As per reporter Fabrizio Romano, speaking on The Debrief podcast, the Bees are demanding £65 million in exchange for the once-capped England star’s services. Arsenal would likely need to sell some players to afford this sum.

Arsenal may well find that they face competition for Toney’s services, as he is a top class goalscorer who has proven that he can shine in the Premier League. The 27-year-old was in prolific form last season, bagging twenty goals in the top flight of English football. 

Arsenal have big decision to make over Ivan Toney

However, Mikel Arteta may still have certain reservations about bringing Toney to the Emirates Stadium. The forward is currently serving a ban for breaching gambling regulations, and won’t be cleared to return to the pitch until January. 

He will likely need some time to get back up to speed, which could severely limit the impact he is able to have in the second half of the current campaign. Given Arsenal will be eyeing up a successful Premier League title challenge this season, they may well be better off going for someone they can trust to hit the ground running on arrival.

The Spanish coach would be wise to bolster his goalscoring options in the winter window, though. Gabriel Jesus’ fitness cannot be relied upon, and whilst Eddie Nketiah impressed with a brilliantly taken hat trick against Sheffield United last time out, the 24-year-old is still short of the elite level that Arsenal ought to be looking for. Toney would be an interesting target to pursue, but his signing would involve a certain level of risk.