Chelsea are backing out of a deal for Ivan Toney because they believe he’d prefer to join Arsenal, according to a report.

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Ivan Toney in recent months, but Rahman Osman of LondonWorld reports that they’ve decided not to make a bid.

The primary reason behind the decision is reportedly that the player has told close friends he’d prefer to join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Toney isn’t keen on moving to Chelsea, and that fact combined with his age (28 in March) has put them off.

At this stage, it doesn’t really seem to matter which clubs are in for Toney, as Brentford don’t want to sell anyway.

Sam Matterface recently reported for talkSPORT that the striker won’t be leaving Brentford in the winter window.

If Toney does leave, it’s going to be in the summer, and Brentford are still trying to tie him down to a new contract before his return from suspension.

The Athletic had previously written that Arsenal were interested in Toney, as they believed he’d provide a different option to the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

The report claimed the problem was the financial side of such a deal.

The Gunners need to be wary of breaching FFP rules, after spending heavily in the summer window and preparing to spend even more on making David Raya’s loan move permanent.

But it doesn’t look like that’s going to be an issue, with Brentford now not planning to sell at any price.

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.

Toney scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League games for Brentford last season, before his ban.