Chelsea could yet be tempted to make a late swoop for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, with the Bees now likely to accept £45 million for the wantaway England international, according to the Sun.
The 28-year-old had been on the radar of plenty of Premier League clubs for a while, but only the Blues remain in the race after Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United all pulled out.
Brentford valued Toney at around £70m at the start of the summer transfer window but are prepared to drop the price to as low as £45m, which could see Chelsea move to complete a deal by this weekend.
The England international has played his last game for the London club from the look of things, and he was excluded from their matchday squad against Crystal Palace on Sunday due to the transfer interest in him.
Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli have tabled a £35m bid for the Chelsea target, but it was knocked back and they are set to launch a second bid.
However, Toney prefers to remain in England despite the money on offer in Saudi, and a source close to the Blues claims they remain very much in the hunt for his services.
Whether Chelsea will now proceed with an offer remains to be seen, as they have agreed a deal to sign Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix today.
The 24-year-old Portugal international will pen a six-year deal with the Stamford Bridge club with the option of another 12 months, and he is expected to undergo a medical this week.
As a result, signing Toney could be off the cards, especially if manager Enzo Maresca decides he has enough firepower in attack.
Chelsea started the 2024-25 season with a 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday at home and will look to do better when they visit Wolverhampton Wanderers next weekend armed with a new forward.
