Chelsea will need to fork out close to £160million if they want to rival Arsenal to the signing of Ivan Toney this January.

The Brentford striker is due to return to competitive football on January 17 following his eight-month suspension for betting offences.

He has scored 63 goals for Brentford in 111 appearances since joining in 2020 and has one England cap to his name. 

And with strikers at such a premium in the league, if Chelsea want to acquire Toney they will need to pay around £160m, according to sports journalist Miguel Delaney.

Ivan Toney is set to return to competitive football on January 17 after his eight-month ban

Pochettino will be forced to spend more than £150m if Chelsea want to acquire Toney

Despite having already spent twice the amount spent by any other Premier League club this summer, Chelsea are still in desperate need of a striker.

With Nicolas Jackson and Broja yet to find any real scintillating form, Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping Toney is the missing piece.

Similarly, Arteta’s Arsenal have their sights set on a new striker to help boost their chances of winning the title this season.

While the Gunners have performed well, a lack of goals has seen them slip five points off the top of the table.

Mail Sport’s chief football writer Sami Mokbel recently suggested that the Gunners, who are keen on Toney, could struggle to seal a deal considering the FFP constraints clubs around the Premier League are subject to.

He said: ‘Arsenal are very, very interested. But, it’s expensive in January. Particularly when you consider Arsenal spent close to £200m in the summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and obviously they loaned David Raya which will turn into a permanent deal.

‘So, when you consider FFP [Financial Fair Play] and how much you can spend around those regulations, it will be a very difficult deal to do. It’s almost an impossible deal to do in January without outgoings.

The Blues will be facing a battle with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to sign the Brentford striker

‘Chris alluded to it, but having an out-and-out striker is a glaring void that they have in their armoury. Eddie Nketiah played against Fulham yesterday but I think they certainly need an upgrade.’ 

To help raise funds for Toney, Chelsea look set to put three players up for sale in January.

Although it has been very unpopular with fans, current captain Conor Gallagher is rumoured with a move to Spurs.

Ian Maatsen is also said to be close to joining German side Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, Trevor Chalobah may also be sold.