• Toney scored on his return to action against Nottingham Forest last month
  • The 28-year-old will have 12 months left on his Brentford contract this summer
  • Arsenal were planning to play ‘We are The Champions’ after beating Liverpool! What are those ridiculous celebrations about? It’s All Kicking Off podcast 

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has admitted publicly for the first time that Arsenal and Chelsea target Ivan Toney will ‘likely’ be sold in the summer.

Toney recently returned to action following an eight-month ban for betting offences and will have only 12 months left on his contract with the Bees at the end of the campaign. 

The 28-year-old, who scored in his first game back last month, has attracted interest from top Premier League clubs but Brentford were able to keep hold of their talisman during a quiet January transfer window. 

However, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea prioritising a forward in the summer – and half a season worth of gametime under his belt – Frank has admitted that Toney is likely to depart this summer. 

‘It’s quite obvious that Ivan Toney will most likely be sold in the summer,’ the Bees boss told Danish magazine Tipsbladet. 

Ivan Toney has recently returned to action following an eight-month ban for betting offences

Ivan Toney has recently returned to action following an eight-month ban for betting offences

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has admitted that the striker will likely depart the club this summer

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has admitted that the striker will likely depart the club this summer

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed that the club were unable to sign a striker in January

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure with his side sitting 11th in the league

Toney has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, who are both likely to prioritise a forward in the summer transfer window

‘It can be expensive to sell your best player, but on the other hand, I also know that by the summer, he’ll only have a year left on his contract with us. 

‘We also know what he’s worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now. He’s a really good striker who is in his prime footballing age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney, but one day it could be fun to see him at a top team.

‘This winter, we actually had no bids for him, but it would surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs interested in him.’

The England striker has made no secret of his ambitions to play for an elite side and even reiterated his desire to do as much last month. 

In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport, Toney said: ‘Everyone knows that I would love to play for a top team and be at the top of the leagues, playing with the best.

‘I am a Brentford player at the moment and until that time comes, whether it is this window or at the end of the season or whenever it does happen, then so be it, but right now I am a Brentford player and that’s my focus.’

Along with helping Brentford fend off the threat of relegation, the forward will have his sights set on claiming a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad as the understudy to Harry Kane at this summer’s European Championship. 

Toney was involved in a controversial moment in his first game back. The Brentford striker scored 19 minutes into his return with a curling free-kick, after Nottingham Forest had taken the lead through Danilo. 

Replays showed that after speaking to one of his team-mates, Toney bent over to move the ball once to his right, before doing so again.

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Post source: Daily mail

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