Exclusive: £100million star would welcome Arsenal transfer approach, says expert

Transfer news expert Ben Jacobs has provided an update on Arsenal’s striker search and the situation surrounding Brentford star Ivan Toney this January.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Jacobs explained that while Toney would welcome an approach from Arsenal, there also seems to be a sense of loyalty towards Brentford.

The England international also currently looks unaffordable for the Gunners, with some sources suggesting it could take as much as £100million to get Brentford to sell their star player this winter.

Arsenal would do well to strengthen their attack after a recent slump, with the goals drying up for the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka, while the jury is out on the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard as backup options in that area of the pitch.

Toney would surely be an upgrade, but as things stand it doesn’t look particularly likely, according to the latest information from Jacobs.

“Arsenal are not currently in talks for Ivan Toney even though many fans feel he’d be a perfect fit. What’s true, though, is that Toney would welcome an approach from Arsenal,” Jacobs said.

“There is no guarantee Arsenal, much like Chelsea, will sign a striker now as opposed to waiting until the summer. And in Toney’s case, it’s just a very expensive outlay to make anything happen. Brentford want £80m+, and some sources even indicate they would hold out for £100m before even entertaining an offer. That’s out of Arsenal’s budget for January.

“Toney has also said on record he feels he owes Brentford for their support during his ban for gambling breaches. So it’s more likely at this stage he stays at Brentford in January.

“This is also down to the fact Brentford need him