In an update which comes as a potential boost to Tottenham in the race for Ivan Toney, The Daily Express have now revealed that the Brentford star is no longer Arsenal’s top target.
It has been widely reported over the last few months that Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to battle it out for Toney’s signature in January when the striker’s ban lapses (The Standard).
The Daily Mirror claimed a few weeks ago that the Gunners were confident of beating their London rivals to the centre-forward, with Mikel Arteta hoping to convince the England striker about his side’s ambitions just as he did Declan Rice in the summer.
Arsenal’s priorities have moved away from Toney
However, if The Express’ latest update is to be believed, Arsenal are now set to prioritise strengthening in the middle of the park in January.
The report states that Arteta’s men have set their sights on landing Luiz, having ‘aggressively pushed’ to sign the Aston Villa man during the summer as well.
It is explained that this makes a move for Toney unlikely for the Gunners, given the exorbitant fee that Brentford are set to demand for their star man.
Spurs Web Opinion
While this development potentially opens the door for Spurs, I doubt the Lilywhites would be willing to pay the kind of fee that the Bees would demand for Toney. I suspect that the most likely scenario is that the centre-forward will stay put at the Gtech Community Stadium until next summer.