Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Ivan Toney after it emerged that Chelsea are planning to bring in a strict strict rule which could rule them out of the race.
Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban from football and fined £50,000 for breaching The FA’s Betting Rules.
The Brentford striker will return to action in January, with a number of Premier League clubs keen to snap him up in the winter transfer window, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
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The Bees are reportedly demanding £100 million in order to part ways with their prized asset, meaning any potential buyer would likely need to sell in order to land the striker.
However, the likes of Arsenal could have the upper hand following reports that Chelsea are keen to lower their wage bill moving forward.
That's according to The Daily Mail, who claim that "the prospect of paying players in-excess of £150,000-per-week is something they are keen to avoid".
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That will put off a number of top players, such as Toney, who will know he can earn close to double that at another club.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea would overlook their new wage strategy in order to sign Toney. But Brentford boss Thomas Frank previously admitted that he would be open to selling the forward for the "right price".
"I understand why there are a lot of rumours out there about him," Frank told Sky Sports in September.
"For me he’s one of the best strikers, as a striker No.9, I don’t see many out there who is better in the world than him, of course you have [Harry] Kane, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Erling] Haaland and these types, but not many.
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"He scored 20 goals in the Premier League last year, in, of course, a very good Brentford side but of course we are not creating as many chances as the top six or seven teams."
Topics: Chelsea, Ivan Toney, Arsenal, Transfers, Premier League, Football
Joe Adams