Chelsea interested in Ivan Toney deal as hectic end to summer transfer window looms

Chelsea are interested in a potential deal for Ivan Toney ahead of Friday night’s transfer deadline.

Standard Sport understands that the England international is among the striker options of interest to the Blues before the summer window slams shut for business at 11pm BST on August 30.

However, there has been no bid from Chelsea to Brentford for Toney so far, with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli the only club with an offer on the table as things stand.

Toney has told Brentford that he wants to leave the club before the summer deadline, but so far Al-Ahli have been unable to agree a deal for his services.

Saudi Pro League officials Saad Al-Lazeez and Michael Emenalo - Chelsea’s former sporting director - have both been in London this week in an attempt to close a move for the 28-year-old.

It is thought that Brentford might now be willing to accept a bid closer to £40m for Toney as the deadline approaches, having initially been holding out for around £50m for a player they could lose for nothing when his current contract expires next summer.

Al-Ahli’s latest offer is understood to have been worth £25m, though the transfer window in Saudi Arabia does not close until October 6, giving them plenty of time to negotiate a deal unless another club were to swoop this week.

Chelsea - along with Arsenal - have been strongly linked with Toney at various times throughout the summer and are believed to remain interested ahead of the deadline, though he must fit into their current wage structure and it is clear that the Blues will not offer a salary close to that of Al-Ahli.

It remains to be seen how much Chelsea would be willing to offer for Toney, with an expectation that they would only bid if they deem the asking price to be reasonable, per multiple reports.

The Blues have also revived talks over a potential deal for Victor Osimhen in the final days of another hectic transfer window, with the Napoli marksman preferring to join Paris Saint-Germain - who are now believed to be out of the running - and having rejected his own offer from Al-Ahli over the weekend.

Osimhen’s agent publicly stated that his client wished to remain in Europe, with Romelu Lukaku set to head in the opposite direction and reunite with former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte by swapping Chelsea for Napoli. Those talks have been separate from Chelsea’s ongoing pursuit of Osimhen.

Chelsea are also interested in a shock late swoop for Jadon Sancho before Friday night’s transfer deadline, with Manchester United having now begun talks over a potential deal for Raheem Sterling.

Kepa Arrizabalaga looks set to join Bournemouth on loan in the coming days, with Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja, Djordje Petrovic, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, David Datro Fofana, Angelo Gabriel and Tino Anjorin all up for sale as Chelsea look to trim Enzo Maresca’s bloated squad further before the window closes.

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Chelsea made their 11th signing of a busy summer on Tuesday, officially agreeing a £17m deal for teenage goalkeeper Mike Penders to join the club next summer from Belgian side Genk.

Chelsea also spent £45m to secure the permanent return of former loanee Joao Felix last week in a deal that allowed Conor Gallagher to finally complete his £33m move to Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea have also signed the likes of Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Filip Jorgensen, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Omari Kellyman this summer, while their list of outgoings includes Gallagher, Thiago Silva, Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson and Hakim Ziyech, alongside a slew of loan exits.