Arsenal on red alert as Chelsea ready to 'challenge' for Ivan Toney signing
Arsenal and Chelsea could go head-to-head for the signature of the Brentford star
Arsenal could face competition from Chelsea for the signature of Brentford striker Ivan Toney, according to reports.
The Gunners have been strongly linked with a move for the England international as they look to bolster their attack.
Arsenal are only the seventh-highest scorers in the Premier League this term and their relative lack of goals is harming their title chances.
Mikel Arteta is therefore considering a swoop for a new striker this month, with Toney thought to be near the top of their wish list.
Money is thought to be tight, however, which could scupper their hopes of landing Brentford's talisman.
According to the Independent, the Bees are set to demand £100m to allow the striker to depart the Gtech Community Stadium this month.
That is likely to rule out a switch to Arsenal for the time being - but there is no guarantee that the north Londoners will acquire him in the summer either.
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That is because the aforementioned report adds that Chelsea are now weighing up an offer for the former Peterborough man.
Because of the need to balance the books and comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, the Blues would first need to make some significant player sales.
Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah could all be made available for transfer, with the proceeds going towards a bid for Toney.
That in turn could force Arsenal to act sooner than the summer, with the Gunners said to be considering letting Eddie Nketiah leave this month.
Arteta's team return to action against Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Chelsea are in action a day earlier when Preston visit Stamford Bridge.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).