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17th February 2024
11:13am GMT
Chelsea have reportedly made Ivan Toney their number one target this summer, but will have to pay a hefty price to sign the forward.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have struggled for goals this season and many believe a consistent goalscorer could help propel them up the table.
Toney has been that man for Brentford since arriving in the Premier League, with the west London club pretty much resigned to losing him this summer as oppose to letting him walk away on a free when his contract expires in 2025.
Arsenal are another club who are also in desperate need of a goalscorer and have been heavily linked with making a move for Toney, which could spark a potential bidding war.
In light of all of the speculation surrounding Toney, Chelsea want to get a head start on any competitors, with The Sun reporting that Pochettino has asked the club to move " heaven and earth to get him" if available.
Any move however will come at a premium price, with Brentford supposedly holding out for £80m, which would be a club-record fee received for a player.
You have to go all the way back to Diego Costa to find the last truly consistent striker at Chelsea.
Try they might, the Blues have failed to find someone like Costa. Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, just to name a few, have all had a crack at the whip but not delivered the goods.
They of course have Nicolas Jackson amongst their armoury but he is still young and in need of time and patience to allow him to become more consistent.
What Toney has on the other hand is proven ability to score 15-20 goals in the Premier League and genuinely could turn Chelsea back into a side who are in contention for the European slots.
They've also been linked with Victor Osimhen, but, would he want to go to a club not playing in the Champions League?
It's all well and good saying that Toney would be a great signing for Chelsea. It's like saying Lionel Messi would make Barnet a better side, but the reality is that if they're in a battle with Arsenal to win his signature, it's more likely he picks the latter.
Sure, Chelsea could be back in Europe in the next two seasons but Toney has made no secret of his desire to play at the top level now.
He's good enough to do so and it's almost a foregone conclusion that Arsenal will be able to offer Champions League. Unless Chelsea are planning to supply Toney with a ludicrous salary (that wouldn't surprise anyone though), it feels more likely that he'll be at the Emirates Stadium.
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