Arsenal handed Ivan Toney transfer boost as Brentford chief admits star could leave Bees ‘very shortly’

BRENTFORD have admitted Arsenal and Chelsea target Ivan Toney could move “very shortly”.

The £100millon-rated England striker is reportedly “very excited” by interest from the Gunners as he returns from a betting ban next month.

Reuters

Ivan Toney is hungry to return after his lengthy suspension from playing and is said to be delighted that Arsenal might be keen[/caption]

Getty

Toney has been reduced to a watching brief on match-days this season[/caption]

And Bees‘ director Lee Dykes is expecting “lots of interest” for the 27-year-old in the January transfer window.

The one-cap star hit 20 goals last season as the type of natural finisher that Arsenal and Chelsea crave.

Dykes told Brentford’s media team: “There should be interest, and maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club.

“But they will have to pay a decent transfer fee to acquire his services because he is some talent.”

Dykes added: “I am so excited for Ivan to come back because I see him out there in training and he is some player – it looks like he’s never been away.

“There’s a real ambition from him and I can see in his eyes that he’s going to be better than he’s ever been. I really believe that will be the case”.

The Bees are tipped to seek a nine-figure sum for Toney – although £80m might be a more realistic ambition.

And in the end Prem rivals could hope to land him for closer to £60m.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has already conceded the Bees “are a selling club if the right price is there”.

And Dykes is confident of attracting a massive sum.

He said: “Yes, there will be lots of interest in Ivan in January. Naturally, there should be.

“He was the third-highest Premier League goalscorer last season – one of them [Harry Kane] has gone to Germany now, so he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the division. He is in the top five in the world, in my opinion”.

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