Arsenal and Chelsea given transfer boost as PL club's director confirms star will be allowed to leave for a 'decent transfer fee'

Brentford director Lee Dykes has confirmed that they will consider bids for Arsenal and Chelsea target Ivan Toney. He claimed that the club are aware of the interest but are looking to keep their star man.

Speaking to Brentford's official website, Dykes stated that it was natural for there to be interest in Toney. He pointed to the fact that the Englishman was the third-highest scorer in the league last season. He said:

“I am so excited for Ivan to come back because I see him out there in training and he is some player; it looks like he’s never been away. There’s a real ambition from him and I can see in his eyes that he’s going to be better than he’s ever been; I really believe that will be the case. Yes, there will be lots of interest in Ivan in January. Naturally, there should be."

He added:

“He was the third-highest Premier League goalscorer last season - one of them [Harry Kane] has gone to Germany now, so he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the division. He is in the top five in the world, in my opinion. So there should be interest, and maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club. But they will have to pay a decent transfer fee to acquire his services because he is some talent.”

Apart from Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United are also said to be keeping tabs on the Brentford star. The Red Devils also seek a goal scorer and see the Englishman as a perfect fit.

Arsenal and Chelsea to battle for Ivan Toney

Ivan Toney is less than a month away from making his return to the pitch after serving a ban for betting breaches. The forward was found guilty of over 230 breaches but has been training with the Brentford first team this season.

Arsenal were interested in the forward last summer but did not make a move due to his ban. The Gunners are looking to acquire the forward on loan, as per Goal, but will need to make the David Raya deal permanent before they can do so.

Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the forward as as Nicolas Jackson and Armanda Broja have found the going hard this season. While Jackson has scored eight goals in all competitions, Broja has scored just once.