Chelsea have made their move to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford, according to Sky Sports News in the UK.
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Toney, 28, has just one year left on his contract at Brentford and hasn’t featured for the Bees this season as he is expected to leave before the summer transfer deadline on Friday at 6pm ET.
On Tuesday Brentford boss Thomas Frank was asked about the interest from Chelsea in Ivan Toney and his response was: “Today we have nothing to say about Ivan Toney.”
It was expected that Toney would be heading to Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli, but Sky Sports News say that Chelsea have made their move for the England international.
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Per the report, Chelsea have been searching for a No. 9 all summer and see Toney as having the perfect attitude in terms of his drive to score goals, while they will also be able to sign him for a reasonable transfer fee and his wages won’t be astronomical.
Does this move make sense?
Yes. 100 percent. For everybody.
Chelsea have needed a central striker for some time and Toney fits the bill. He has character, experience and quality to finish off chances and he will help drive on Chelsea’s extremely young squad around him.
Linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea for so long, a move to one of the Premier League’s big boys always seemed inevitable for the striker who has spent most of his career outside of the top-flight.
Toney has scored 36 goals in 83 Premier League appearances over the last three seasons (he spent over half of last season suspended due to being found guilty of breaching the FA’s betting regulations) and Chelsea seems like the perfect club for him to score plenty more at. Enzo Maresca has a plethora of attacking midfield talents and now he needs a clinical forward.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been linked with a move to Chelsea all summer but it seems like Toney is the player the Blues have gone for to solve their goalscoring woes.