Real Madrid HIJACK another Arsenal transfer

Carlo Garganese

• 28 Nov 2023 08:32 GMT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid are trying to hijack Arsenal and Chelsea’s move for Brentford star Ivan Toney.

That is according to TeamTALK, who report that Madrid have joined the race to sign the England striker.

Madrid are looking for a top-class replacement for Karim Benzema, who left the club as a legend to move to Saudi Arabia this past summer.

TeamTALK reports that Madrid are now well in the mix to challenge Arsenal and Chelsea for Toney in 2024.

The report adds, though, that it can’t be ruled out that Toney ends up staying at Brentford and extending his contract past its current expiry in 2025.

Until now, it had appeared to be a two-horse fight for Toney between Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Gunners are in the market for a striker in the new year and have been looking at a number of top options.

These include Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus, Victor Osimhen of Napoli and Brentford striker Toney.

Chelsea are in the same position as, like Arsenal, they have struggled to consistently get goals from their number nine. They are shopping in the same striker market as Arsenal and are following almost identical targets.

There have been some doubts whether Toney can make the step up at a team as big as Arsenal, Chelsea or Real Madrid but he has proven himself as one of the best English strikers around in recent years with 20 Premier League goals in 2022-23.

It has been reported that Brentford will ask for a fee of around £60 million for Toney, whose previous clubs include Peterborough United, Northampton and Newcastle.

He has won one cap for the England national team and he is hoping to work his way back into the squad for Euro 2024 next summer.

Toney is currently banned from football for betting offences but he will return to playing in January.