Arsenal eye January move to sign 27 y/o ace, £80m could seal deal – report

Arsenal are considering a move to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January transfer window, according to a report from Evening Standard.

The Gunners spent heavily in the summer, and have made a strong start to the season, remaining unbeaten in their opening six league games.

However, Mikel Arteta feels the need to sign a top striker in the January window who can really make a big difference to the side.

The Standard suggests that Brentford are “ready to sell” Toney in the winter transfer window when he will complete his eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.

The Gunners are likely to face strong competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea who are still looking to delve into the market despite spending more than £1billion under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake.

Toney has a contract at the London club until 2025 and Brentford are expected to demand a fee in the region of £80m for the striker.

Should Arsenal move for him?

Toney was the third-highest scorer in the Premier League last season with 20 goals, behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

He is in the prime years of his career, but won’t be able to play until January 16, after being banned for 18 months in May after admitting 232 breaches of FA betting rules.

Arteta has the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus but still needs a potent forward to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.

Brentford are hard negotiator and the Gunners may have to pay a lot of money to sign the 27-year-old, probably more than they would have liked.

Toney won’t be in an ideal physical condition having not kicked the ball for all these months, and it will be ridiculous to think that he can make a big impact straight away.

It’s not ideal to sign him in January, but Arteta may have got other plans.