Report: Spurs and Chelsea may have just received a boost in transfer race

In what comes as a potential boost to Tottenham in their pursuit of Ivan Toney, The Athletic have suggested that Arsenal may not be able to sign the Brentford star in January since they will have to work with a small budget.

We at Spurs Web have relayed several reports over the last few weeks that have claimed Spurs are set for a three-way battle with Arsenal and Chelsea for Toney, who is ready to leave Brentford in January (Daily Express).

The Daily Mirror stated a few weeks ago that the Gunners are confident of persuading the England international to choose them over their London rivals.

However, this was contradicted by journalist Dean Jones, who told TEAMtalk a few days ago that Arsenal are yet to make a final decision on whether to move for Toney since they also need to strengthen in other areas of the pitch.

BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Ivan Toney of Brentford looks on during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Nottingham Forest at Brentford Community Stadium on April 29, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Limited budget for Arsenal could hurt Toney pursuit

The Athletic have now suggested that Mikel Arteta’s men will only have a limited budget to work with in January.

This is because they are concerned about breaching Financial Fair Play, which is why the Emirates hierarchy opted to sign David Raya on an initial loan deal in the summer.

The publication asserts that there ‘isn’t much budget or desire to do significant business in January’ at Arsenal and adds that things are unlikely to change unless there are significant departures.

Spurs Web Opinion

With Arsenal seemingly not having the budget for a move for Toney and Chelsea having a policy of signing players under 25, it is possible that Spurs could have a relatively free run at the Brentford star if they are interested.

However, I doubt if the North London club would consider paying anything more than £60m for the England international’s services, which might not be enough to persuade the Bees to sell.