Chelsea are considering a late sensational swoop for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
A striker remains a priority for the Blues boss Enzo Maresca so late in the transfer window, with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. However, cash-rich Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli are also interested in Osimhen, who is desperate to leave Napoli this summer.
The Blues want to make a move for Ivan Toney before the August 30 transfer deadline. They have reportedly held talks with West London rivals Brentford over a deal for the England striker, who is valued at around £50m. The striker, 28, has entered the final year of his contract and wants to leave the Bees. As a result, Thomas Frank has left Toney out of match-day squads in Brentford’s opening two Premier League games amid intense speculation surrounding his future.
Interestingly, Toney has also been subject of interest from Al Ahli. He is understood to have agreed personal terms with the Saudi Pro League club, who have offered up to £42 million including add-ons to Brentford. This has alerted Premier League clubs, mainly Chelsea.
Chelsea keen to offload several high-earning stars
Chelsea, having spent heavily to back new boss Enzo Maresca, are now mainly focusing on moving on high-earning fringe stars to trim their wage bill. Players like Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Romelu Lukaku are some of those notable names the Blues want to offload permanently before the transfer window slams shut.
Napoli have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign Lukaku after intense negotiations. Antonio Conte has been desperate to reunite with Lukaku in Naples, having won the Serie A title with the striker at Inter Milan two years ago. The Belgium international is set to travel to Italy on Wednesday to undergo his medical.
Meanwhile, Chilwell and Sterling have been training away from the main Chelsea squad as they are not part of Maresca’s plans. Both the Chelsea outcasts have been linked with moves to Manchester United. There has been talks of a swap deal involving Sterling and Jadon Sancho, while Chilwell could provide solution to Erik ten Hag’s left-back woes.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
