Chelsea could hijack Ivan Toney's lucrative move to Saudi Arabia as deadline day approaches

Brentford have not received any formal transfer offers from Chelsea for Ivan Toney, talkSPORT understands.

The Blues are believed to be monitoring Toney's situation ahead of Friday's transfer deadline as one of several potential options for the striker.

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Toney has verbally agreed a lucrative £16m-a-year contract with Saudi club Al Ahli, but no club has yet made an offer to match Brentford's £50m asking price.

Chelsea can't match the wages on the table in the Middle East, but they can offer Premier League football.

Brentford's Thomas Frank told his press conference on Tuesday: “We have nothing to say about Ivan Toney today.”

The Bees talisman has been left out of his side's games so far this season amid transfer interest.

Chelsea had been interested in signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli but the striker wants a salary of £500,000 a week.

A move to Al Ahli would allow Toney to earn £327,000 per week – So if he joins Chelsea he would be cheaper than Osimhen, but would still earn considerably more than he does at the Gtech Community Stadium.

However, there is a difference in valuation between the two clubs: Al-Ahli received a bid of £35m plus add-ons which was rejected. They are now willing to pay £40m.

However, the Bees are expecting a £50m bid.

This is despite the fact that the English international has one year left on his contract.

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Frank has previously confirmed that he expects the 28-year-old to leave in this window.

“I'm always happy when the window closes,” Frank said after his team's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. “That way I don’t have to talk about ifs and buts and whens and maybes, about many players and, of course, about Ivan. It’s all about Ivan!”

Asked if a deal for Toney to leave Brentford is close to being agreed, Frank said: “Very good question. I haven't actually asked about that in the last two or three days so I don't really know.

“He trained well all week and had a good attitude.”

Fans have speculated about Toney's future with the England national team if he moves to Saudi Arabia.

Jordan Henderson's signing for Al Ettifaq and his subsequent departure from the Three Lions despite being a veteran was a clear example of this.

A move to Stamford Bridge would keep those dreams alive for Toney, who had minimal minutes at Euro 2024 but made a big impact when he did feature, including in the penalty shoot-out against Switzerland.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT's Simon Jordan He called Toney's ties to Saudi Arabia “sad” on Tuesday, suggesting the Bees striker should not go and play in a “non-competitive league”.