Chelsea make late move for Ivan Toney as Victor Osimhen deal hangs in balance

Chelsea have shown late interest in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

An inquiry was made on Tuesday morning but Chelsea are not the only Premier League club to have registered an interest.

It may well be that Chelsea’s move is partly to force Victor Osimhen, who has been a long-term target, to finally agree a deal to join them. There were positive talks with his club, Napoli, probably for an initial loan, over the last weekend but there remains a significant discrepancy on wage demands.

Toney has agreed personal terms with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli – who have also been chasing Osimhen all summer – but a transfer fee has not been settled.

Brentford want £50 million for the 28-year-old England international who has one year left on his contract and has been left out of the match-day squads for their opening two Premier League matches in anticipation of him leaving.

The sense is that Chelsea will also want to offer less than that, if they do eventually make a bid before Friday’s transfer deadline, and will also want Toney to fit into their strict wage structure. It means he will not be offered anywhere near the financial package he would receive in Saudi Arabia but Toney would still get an increase on his Brentford salary. He also has to weigh that up with whether he wants to stay in the Premier League and the danger of falling out of contention for England.

The late interest from Chelsea, and possibly other clubs, is good news for Brentford who will now hope to receive closer to their asking price. It appears that Toney, having agreed terms with Al-Ahli, who are understood to have offered up to £42 million including add-ons, has alerted other clubs to make their move.

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has claimed that his club – and Newcastle United who sold Toney to them in 2018 – are both due sell-on fees if the centre-forward is transferred. Newcastle would receive 30 per cent of what Peterborough are due, he said, adding he could not disclose what percentage his club can expect.

MacAnthony has also stated that Northampton Town, who sold Toney to Newcastle in 2015, would also be due money. Brentford have paid around £10 million for Toney who they signed four years ago.

Chelsea’s priority signing before Friday’s 11pm deadline is a centre-forward. Progress has been made on the structure of a deal – Chelsea initially want it to be a loan – for Osimhen.

The Nigerian has also had a highly-lucrative offer from Al-Ahli but it appears he is reluctant to make the move with his agent Roberto Calenda saying the 25-year-old still has “much to do in Europe”.

However, again, it appears a significant stumbling block remains the wages Chelsea are prepared to pay Osimhen. At the same time Chelsea would prefer a loan, initially, rather than a permanent transfer for the player even though the price to sign him has dropped dramatically to around €65 million (£54.9 million).

Chelsea have completed the signing of Mike Penders from Belgian club Genk for up to €20 million (£16.9 million). The 19-year-old, who made his senior debut last month, will stay on loan at Genk for this season. He has signed an eight-year deal with Chelsea. Penders has become the eighth goalkeeper on Chelsea’s books but that will be reduced to six with Bournemouth agreeing a season-long loan deal to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The 29-year-old Spaniard has also extended his contract at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2026 season – his deal was due to expire in 2025. Arrizabalaga was one of the 14 players who were training away from the first team and has no future at Chelsea. His contract was only extended to preserve some transfer value – there is no option or obligation to buy – at the end of his proposed loan spell. Arrizabalaga rejected a permanent move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in July and will be reunited with Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola who was a player with him at Athletic Bilbao nine years ago.

Another Saudi club, Al-Ettifaq, who are coached by Steven Gerrard, are in advanced talks to sign attacking midfielder Harvey Vale – another of the unwanted 14 along with another goalkeeper, Lucas Bergstrom.

A fee has been agreed but Vale, 20, has to decide whether he wants to make the move. Vale, an academy product who captained England when they won the Under-19 European Championship in 2022, has only a year left on his contract at Chelsea and there is interest in him from clubs in England and Europe.