Brentford technical director Lee Dykes has admitted that Ivan Toney could leave the club “very shortly”, but warned potential January suitors they will have to stump up a significant transfer fee.
Toney, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, is due to return to competitive action next month, having not played since May due to an eight-month gambling ban.
In his absence, the forward has been heavily linked with a move away from the Gtech Community Stadium, with both Arsenal and Chelsea known to be admirers of a player thought to be valued at around £80million.
The England international is eligible to play first-team football again from January 16 but will by then be into the final 18 months of his contract and Brentford appear certain to sell their prized asset in the summer - if not sooner.
“I am so excited for Ivan to come back because I see him out there in training and he is some player; it looks like he’s never been away,” Dykes told the club website.
“There’s a real ambition from him and I can see in his eyes that he’s going to be better than he’s ever been; I really believe that will be the case.
“Yes, there will be lots of interest in Ivan in January. Naturally, there should be. He was the third-highest Premier League goalscorer last season - one of them [Harry Kane] has gone to Germany now, so he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the division. He is in the top five in the world, in my opinion.
“So there should be interest, and maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club. But they will have to pay a decent transfer fee to acquire his services because he is some talent.”
Brentford have developed a reputation for developing talent and then selling players for a significant profit, with the likes of Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins among their most notable exports, while David Raya is expected to complete a permanent move to Arsenal at the end of the season.
Dykes, however, insists that both the terms and timing of the deal must suit the club before Toney is allowed to leave.
“We sit in front of every player and say that, if your career goals are above and beyond us, at the right time and if your valuation is met, then we will be open to listening to the numbers,” he added. “But it’s got to be right for all parties.
"Maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club... but they will have to pay a decent transfer fee"
“We look at how it’s going to affect the club, the team, the morale around the place, new acquisitions, player pathways underneath from the B team and the academy.
“There’s always a willingness from Brentford to do what’s right. So if a deal is there to be done, then we are more than willing to play ball, which the club have proved with Ollie, Said and David.
“But, equally, we will try and hold on to players so that we maximise their potential with Brentford. We will know when that point is.
“Clubs often make an enquiry at the wrong time for us, the wrong time for the player, and we don’t strike deals.”
