Sky Sports journalist says Brentford may have changed their mind over Ivan Toney’s future

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Ivan Toney’s future is a hot topic ahead of January, a player chased by the likes of both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

And as Toney nears a return for Brentford, it seems there may have been a slight change in the club’s stance over his future.

It’s long been thought that Brentford would resist any sale, demanding a very high fee for Toney.

However, with both Arsenal and Tottenham said to have considerable interest in Toney ahead of January and next summer, it seems they may be handed some good news. 

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has recently been discussing the situation on the ‘Transfer Talk’ podcast.

And although he does expect Toney to stay at Brentford until at least the summer, he admitted that the club are increasingly aware of their weak bargaining position.

Journalist suggests Arsenal and Tottenham target Ivan Toney could soon be available

Sheth thought that Toney’s feeling of loyalty would make him happy to stay for now.

However, his further comments may prove that the door is still open for Arsenal and Tottenham to pursue Toney in January.

Sheth said: “A couple of months ago, the information we were getting was that Brentford would only be selling Ivan Toney if you’re talking a fee in excess of £100m.

“Now, are a club going to pay £100m in January, £100m at any other time of the year? Yes I know a couple of clubs have done that, Arsenal have done that themselves.

“It’s whether they would do that for a player like Ivan Toney and whether Ivan Toney maybe feels a degree of loyalty to Brentford because of the ban.

“They’ve stood by him, he’s been back training with them, he’s back in action come the middle of January so Brentford will be expecting him to stay.

“But some of the noises coming out of Brentford now look like they’re not ruling out a sale, but they’re saying it would require a decent fee.

“I just wonder whether they’re talking in that way simply because they are conceding that Ivan Toney probably isn’t going to sign a new contract at Brentford. He’s only got 18 months left on his deal.

“Now, if he stays, the next window that he could potentially leave is the summer. How much would his value have gone down by the summer because he’s entering the last year of his contract?

“He’s going to be six months away from being able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside England and a further six months away from being able to leave for free full stop.

“Do I think he’ll leave? I think he’ll probably stay until at least the summer.”

Time to test Brentford’s resolve

Although one pundit thinks it would be a mistake for Ivan Toney to leave in January, perhaps a deal could be possible.

Thomas Frank’s side have coped admirably without their star-man so far this season, but a recent injury to Bryan Mbeumo could complicate things.

It’s certainly going to be an interesting situation to watch unfold.

And although both Arsenal and Tottenham are thought to prioritise other positions, an opportunity to sign Toney could prove too hard to ignore.