Toney agrees personal terms as Chelsea continue chase for Brentford star

28 Aug 2024 11:45 BST
3 min read

Ivan Toney has agreed personal terms on a move to join Al-Ahli, but Chelsea have not yet thrown in the towel over a deal for the Brentford striker.

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FootballTransfers can confirm that Toney has agreed a deal with the Saudi Pro League team, who do not have the same time pressure to complete a transfer as the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The Saudi transfer window remains open until 6 October, giving the 28-year-old and potentially Brentford a valuable escape route should no deal with Chelsea be found.

READ MORE: Chelsea closing in on Osimhen!

Compared

VS

€14.8M	ETV	€71.1M
€11.1M - €18.5M	ETV Range	€53.3M - €88.9M
28 years old (16 Mar, 1996)	Age	25 years old (29 Dec, 1998)
England	Nationality	Nigeria

The Blues still have their focus on securing Victor Osimhen as their new No.9. An agreement on personal terms with the Nigeria international forward is thought to be close, yet Napoli have been stubborn in their demand for a big transfer fee while the 24-year-old does not want to leave on loan.

As such, Chelsea are not certain of signing Osimhen and as a failsafe they are studying a move for Toney.

The Brentford striker was linked with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and even Tottenham earlier in the summer, but the West London club’s asking price of around €60 million (£50m) put suitors off. It is thought that around €48m (£40m) may be enough to do a deal now.

Sell Toney or lose him for nothing

The Bees, meanwhile, face a dilemma. If they do not accept a bid for Toney, who has not scored a competitive goal since February, before the transfer deadline, they face losing him on a free transfer next summer as he only has a year left on his contract.

The interest from Al-Ahli offers them some insurance. Should Chelsea’s move for Toney breakdown, the striker has agreed to move to the Middle East, guaranteeing at least some return for Thomas Frank’s side.

While Man Utd’s interest in Toney is rumoured to have been rekindled, it is FootballTransfers’ information that it is effectively a straight shootout between Chelsea and Al-Ahli for the striker, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €14.8m.

Read more about: Premier League, Professional League, Al Ahli, Brentford, Chelsea, Ivan Toney