Toney makes MAJOR transfer decision amid Man Utd and Chelsea interest

Cameron Smith

Updated: 25 Aug 2023 14:43 BST
4 min read

Ivan Toney Brentford 2022-23 — © ProShots

Ivan Toney has officially joined sports management firm CAA Stellar, who are headed up by renowned football agent Jonathan Barnett as he prepares for a Brentford exit.

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Toney, 27, is banned from all football activity until 2024 after pleading guilty to 232 betting breaches earlier this year, but there is expected to be a bidding war for the England international in January following interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham.

The move to join Barnett's agency comes as a clear indication of his desire to leave Brentford in January when his betting ban is lifted.

Barnett boasts an impressive client list and has sealed transfers for Eduardo Camavinga (to Real Madrid), Jack Grealish (to Manchester City) and Ibrahima Konate (to Liverpool) in recent years.

In addition, he negotiated James Ward-Prowse’s move to West Ham United and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s transfer to AC Milan earlier this summer.

Links with a Brentford exit have been rife, despite Toney’s ban, and FootballTransfers exclusively reported interest from Chelsea in April, Tottenham in July, and Man Utd in August.

© ProShots - Tottenham are among the teams interested in signing Ivan Toney

Toney wants Brentford departure

The decision to sign for Barnett's agency comes as little surprise following Toney’s recent comments of his admiration of Arsenal and Liverpool.

Speaking on Steven Bartlett’s ‘Diary of a CEO’ podcast, Toney revealed his desire to join one of the biggest clubs in the world when his ban is lifted.

“Whenever that time comes [to leave Brentford], so be it," he said. "My time at Brentford has been good; one of the best times of my career."

Toney continued and said that if he ever left the Brentford Community Stadium, his next club would have to be "the right one."

Bartlett then questioned: “When you say the right club, you're not talking about Liverpool, are you? I heard you're a Liverpool fan…"

After that question, Toney replied: “I have been a Liverpool fan my whole life, but I have liked Arsenal... I like watching Arsenal and how they play and kind of how passionate the fans are.

“But, yeah, Liverpool fan, Liverpool boy at heart," Toney concluded.