Arsenal's pursuit of Ivan Toney just edged a little closer, with a huge moment in the saga just confirmed.
Brentford hitman Toney has been open about his desire to join a big club, with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming that the England international would rather link up with the Gunners over London rivals Chelsea.
TEAMtalk claimed last year that there were talks between Toney and Arsenal – and now, Brentford have made the strongest indication yet that their talismanic target man will be leaving in the summer, following comments from Thomas Frank.
The Bees have confirmed the capture of Club Brugge forward, Igor Thiago for a fee of around £30 million.
The Brazilian will link up with the west Londoners in the summer, seeing out the rest of the season at the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium, with Frank highlighting Thiago's “physical presence, very good in the box and can link the play” – all attributes associated with Toney.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly looking to bring a new forward to the club this summer, with Gabriel Jesus struggling with injuries this term and backup option Eddie Nketiah not starting often in his absence.
At the weekend against West Ham United, Arteta deployed Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz in attacking positions, with the two forwards enjoying positional fluidity to drift and combine with the other forwards
Toney is worth €35m, according to Transfermarkt.
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