Chelsea 'identify' new £35m Premier League striker target after Ivan Toney bid 'accepted'

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been dealt a transfer blow following reports that Brentford have accepted a bid reported to be in the region of £40m for Ivan Toney from the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.

According to the BBC, sources close to the England striker have said they believe the deal will go through and Toney will complete the transfer which should see him earn in excess of £300,000-a-week. The 28-year-old has not competed from Thomas Frank’s side so far this season with the Bees manager opting to keep him out of the squad amid the ongoing transfer speculation.

Toney’s standout campaign took place in 2022/23 with the striker scoring 20 goals in the Premier League. The forward then netted four times in his first five matches last season after returning from an eight-month suspension for breaching the FA betting rules.

As the Saudi transfer window does not close until September 2, Toney’s transfer will not have to be completed by the Premier League deadline of 11pm today, Friday 30 August but it appears that Brentford’s Premier League rivals Chelsea have already identified who their next striker target will be as the 28-year-old England international now appears to be unavailable.

The Blues are still holding out to sign an out-and-out striker, despite their squad currently featuring over 40 players, and one Everton star may now become Enzo Maresca’s top priority as the transfer deadline is now less than 12 hours away...

Chelsea’s new striker target identified

Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewis is said to be the next target for Chelsea if they are unable to sign either Napoli’s Victor Osimhen or Al-Ahli-bound Toney. According to FootballTransfers, both the Blues and Arsenal have been admirers of the one-time England international who has just one year left on his current Goodison Park contract.

The 27-year-old scored seven goals and provided two assists in 29 Premier League appearances last season, while also picking up one goal and one assist in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea could be facing familiar competition as they race to sign Calvert-Lewis with the Gunners also said to be ‘monitoring’ the situation, but as the Toffees are also interested in signing the Blues forward David Datro Fofana, it is thought this could help Calvert-Lewin’s chances of securing a Stamford Bridge switch.

As such, FootballTransfers suggests the Toffees forward is more likely to head to SW6 over N7 during the last few hours of the summer window. Nicolas Jackson is currently Enzo Maresca’s first-choice number nine, while new acquisition Marc Guiu started both legs of Chelsea’s Europa Conference League play-off against Swiss side Servette