Ivan Toney will not leave Brentford in the January transfer window, manager Thomas Frank has insisted.
The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have both held long-term interest in signing Toney, who will be available to face Nottingham Forest on January 20 following the end of his eight-month betting ban.
Brentford want between £80million and £100m for the England striker, and no official bids have come in yet.
The Bees have lost seven of their last eight games heading into Friday night's FA Cup third round match against Wolves.
Their poor form, coupled with a raft of absences owing to injury and players’ participation in the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup, makes their need to keep Toney for the rest of the season greater.
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“The very short answer: yes”, Frank replied when asked whether Toney will stay at Brentford this month. “He is a Brentford player; he is here. Clearly we miss a few offensive players; I can’t see why we would sell him, and I would love to have him for a longer time.
“If I ever, ever could recommend [his sale], and it’s not for me to say yes or no — that’s Phil [Giles, director of football] or Matthew [Benham, owner] — then it needs to be for an unbelievable price. So he will stay here.”
Frank first revealed that he expected the Bees to keep hold of Toney beyond the January window when speaking exclusively to Standard Sport last month.
Meanwhile, Brentford are set to make their first signing of the month next week, securing the services of Sivasspor midfielder Yunus Emre Konak.
The teenager was in Istanbul on Thursday night, preparing to travel to England to undergo his medical, with his brother having already publicly wished him luck for the move.
He is likely to first join up with the Brentford B team, where the likes of Yehor Yarmolyuk honed his craft before moving up to the first team.
Midfielder Josh Dasilva is available on Friday night for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury against Fulham back in August.
