The Athletic’s reliable transfer guru David Ornstein has made a fascinating claim that Arsenal might have the chance to sign Ivan Toney as a free agent in 2025.
He said on BBC: “This is a player who is under contract until the summer of 2025 so it’s Brentford’s last opportunity to maximise their value in him.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen though because the price is going to be really high. They’d like £100m, and who is prepared to pay that? I think there’s been some interest but no real contact at this stage.
“So you’ve got Arsenal, rumoured to be after Ivan Toney but I don’t know of any developments on that front. Their plan for a striker would be more to look towards the summer for financial reasons.
“I wouldn’t rule out free agency in the summer of 2025. Brentford would want to tie him down to a new deal but I don’t think they’d get to the salary levels he’d want. Maybe a release clause in there, but I think that would be a massive risk for Ivan Toney.”
The Gunners are likely to push for a new striker signing in the summer of 2024, but might opt to wait another year for Toney if Brentford ask for way too much to sell him.
However, for that to happen, the Englishman would have to see out his entire contract and not sign an extension with the Bees – which could be a terrible wait for him.
