The Chelsea boss has not enjoyed the best of times since moving to Stamford Bridge and has struggled to get consistent performances out of his money-spinning squad. With the Blues languishing in 10th place in the Premier League, there has been talk that Pochettino could be given his marching orders soon – despite having guided them to the League Cup final where they will face Liverpool.
Chelsea, who did spend £32m on Nicolas Jackson, have been crying out for a striker all season with the Senegalese forward far from prolific. The 22-year-old has chipped in with nine goals in all competitions but Pochettino knows he needs an out-and-out goalscorer to take the team to the next level.
Given Todd Boehly’s penchant for throwing money at the Chelsea squad, a number of big-money players have been linked including the £103m-rated Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
However, according to The Sun, Pochettino has made Brentford striker Toney his No 1 target and has told the board that if he’s available they should ‘move heaven and earth’ to get a deal over the line.
The 27-year-old has only been back for four Premier League games since his suspension for breaking FA betting rules and already he has netted three times – the kind of rate that has attracted not only Chelsea but Arsenal and Tottenham as well.
Brentford have resigned themselves to losing Toney given his contract expires in 2025 and there is big money to be made from him. The same report claims they will hold out for £80m but Chelsea will first have to sell before they can spend that kind of cash due to financial fair play restrictions.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who has seemingly already signed Toney’s replacement by agreeing a deal for Brazilian forward Igor Thiago, has admitted that the England star will likely be sold in the summer.
“It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer,” Frank said to Danish media, via Tipsbladet. “We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.
“He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team. This winter we actually had no offers for him, but it will surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”
