According to reports, Ivan Toney is expected to leave Brentford in January amid interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Toney was one of the best strikers in the Premier League last season as he scored 20 goals in 33 appearances for Brentford.
His form earned him his senior debut for England but his career has been put on hold after he breached the Football Association’s betting regulations.
The striker received a nine-month ban for his breaches. He is unable to play for Brentford until January but he has returned to training this month.
Toney may have already played his last game for Brentford, though. His form last season has caught the attention of several Premier League clubs and he is expected to secure a move elsewhere during the upcoming January transfer window.
Bees head coach Thomas Frank recently admitted that they are willing to sell Toney for the “right price”.
“So far we’ve only sold one in the Premier League, that was David Raya – or that’s a loan but probably will be a sale in the future, I guess,” Frank said.
“I think every club in the world are a selling club except five or six clubs. We are a selling club, if the right price is there.”
The Sunday Mirror are now reporting that ‘Toney is ready to leave Brentford in January’ after his ‘crunch meeting’ with Frank. They add.
‘Despite his commitment to Brentford, the England striker is understood to have outlined his desire to make the next step in his career, and Brentford will let him go – providing their £60million valuation is met.
‘Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are circling and the 27-year-old, who turns 28 in March, is due to enter the final 18 months of his deal in January.
‘Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal are expected to explore the conditions of a deal in the coming months before deciding whether to formalise their interest and while Brentford would ideally favour a summer sale to avoid mid-season distractions, Toney is prepared to push for a January move – meaning it’s possible that he may have already played his final game for the west London outfit.’
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With Toney back in training ahead of his full return in January, Frank has suggested that Brentford will be “focused on his development” in the coming months.
“It has been very good to have him back in,” Frank said.
“He had that hamstring injury in the final games of last season, but he is fully fit now which means we’ve got four months to focus on improving him.
“It is different to (the return of) an injured player, so we have to do it differently, we want to focus on his development.”
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