Arsenal may have to pay £80m to sign Ivan Toney in the January transfer window, but they have other options for a centre-forward signing.
The Times report that despite previous claims of a £60m price tag on Ivan Toney’s head in the January transfer window, Arsenal would likely actually have to pay up to £80m for the transfer.
The Gunners are assessing their options ahead of the January transfer window, and they’ve also scouted Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez as a potential alternative.
John Cross of the Mirror recently reported that Arsenal were stepping up their interest in Toney, with the player reportedly keen to move to a bigger club.
Toney isn’t planning to sign a new deal with Brentford, and his current contract expires in 2025.
As well as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also watching developments.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic Football Podcast that Brentford will need to make a decision on Toney in January.
Ornstein highlights that Brentford are reportedly ready to offer Toney a massive contract to extract the maximum value for him.
But if he’s not prepared to sign, then there’s a good chance he will leave at some point in 2024.
Toney is currently suspended from football due to breaching FA rules on gambling, but he’s back in training, and he’ll be able to play again in January.
As for Gimenez, O Jogo covered reports earlier this week that Arsenal were among a number of clubs to scout the Feyenoord man.
Gimenez has scored nine goals in his seven appearances for the club this season, after a 28-goal campaign in 2022/23.