Chelsea add 20-goal PL striker to ‘shortlist’ with transfer hinging on one decisive factor

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney but will end their pursuit should the 27-year-old receive a lengthy ban for breaking FA betting rules.

Toney has scored an impressive 20 goals in the Premier League this season.

He has managed this with a potential ban from the FA hanging over his head.

On Tuesday, the England international appeared in front of a disciplinary panel after he was charged with a colossal 262 breaches of betting rules between February 2017 and January 2021.

Toney has accepted some of the accusations but is contesting many. He could face a long-term ban as a result, which would jeopardise a move to a top club in the summer transfer window.

There is a lot of interest in the former Newcastle United youngster, but clubs are very wary about his ongoing case.

Should he receive a long ban, Toney will almost definitely stay at Brentford.

Manchester United and Chelsea are both in dire need of a new No. 9 and the latter have added Toney to their summer shortlist, according to the Evening Standard.

A new striker is a top priority and have made the 27-year-old a target ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival as the club’s next head coach.

With only two years remaining on his contract, Brentford ‘would be willing’ to sell their star man but will ‘demand a sizeable fee’.

Chelsea should have no problem meeting the Bees’ asking price but will need to sell multiple first-team players this summer having spent around £600million in the previous two transfer windows.

A long ban would ‘scupper any chance of a move’, however, with the Blues also interested in Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen has been on fire this season and played a huge part in Napoli’s Serie A title win.

Martinez has enjoyed another successful campaign and scored the only goal as Inter won their Champions League semi-final second leg against AC Milan to progress to the final of the competition after a 3-0 aggregate victory.

Romelu Lukaku is set to return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season when his Nerazzurri loan comes to an end.

Chelsea have already agreed a deal to sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku for £53m.

Similar to Kai Havertz and Joao Felix, Nkunku is another player who doesn’t really have a set position and is not expected to lead the line for the Blues.

READ MORE: The multinational players whose eligibility England must secure: Arsenal striker switches allegiance