Chelsea will have to spend £18million more by signing Ivan Toney instead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Thomas Tuchel is in the market for a striker this summer as he looks to bolster his strike force following the exits of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
According to the Mirror, the Blues are weighing up a bid for the striker and the Bees are bracing themselves for offers from Manchester United and Everton too. The 26-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move away from Brentford in recent times, with Arsenal once said to have been leading the race.
The report add that Tuchel could push to sign two number nines, with Chelsea looking to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. football.london understands that the west Londoners submitted a £22million bid for the 33-year-old on Wednesday evening.
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It's said that talks with Barcelona over Aubameyang's sale are ongoing. The Blues boss is eager to work with the Gabon international again working well together at Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel is said to have earmarked the former Arsenal captain as a primary target but it seems a move for Toney could be on the cards too. If it comes down to one or the other, then Chelsea will have to pay £18million more to sign the Englishman instead of Aubameyang.
From a financial point of view, a deal for the latter makes the most sense. But, with the Blues in desperate need of a Didier Drogba archetype to lead the line, the former looks to be an exciting wildcard alternative.
Toney has been compared to Drogba in the past by his teammates at Brentford. Speaking in 2021, as quoted by the Mirror, teammate Christian Norgaard said: "I think Bryan and Ivan did a fantastic job and they linking up very well at the moment.
"I heard someone in the changing room comparing Ivan with Didier Drogba. I think he looked a bit like him actually - the way he kept the ball, his first touch and his passes. He won every single header and he is a right player."
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