Mikel Arteta forced to change Arsenal transfer plans after learning Ivan Toney demands

Mikel Arteta will be forced to tone down his January transfer plans due to Profit and Sustainability concerns after originally targeting four new additions.

After narrowly missing out on the Premier League title last year, Arsenal have made a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign and know that a victory against Liverpool on Sunday would ensure they spend a second consecutive Christmas at the top of the league.

However, Arteta is still keen on bolstering his squad in the winter transfer window. The Spaniard believes he needs to strengthen with four more players, but those plans are unlikely to come to fruition in January.

That's per The Independent, who outline that any business Arsenal do in the coming weeks will be dictated by their budget and Profit and Sustainability rules. The Gunners spent more than £105million on Declan Rice in the summer and also parted with significant sums to bring Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber to the Emirates. Arteta still wants to sign a striker, a central midfielder and two full-backs but will be forced to cut his cloth accordingly in January.

Mirror Football has already revealed that Brentford striker Ivan Toney is Arsenal's primary transfer target ahead of the winter window, but they are not willing to pay over the odds for a player who has just 18 months to run on his current deal.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney watching a match from the stands

Mikel Arteta will attempt to do a deal for Ivan Toney in January but also wants to strengthen in other positions 

Brentford technical director Lee Dykes has opened the door for Toney to leave in January, but he stressed the Bees will not let their talisman leave on the cheap.

He said: "Yes, there will be lots of interest in Ivan in January. Naturally, there should be. He was the third-highest Premier League goalscorer last season - one of them [Harry Kane] has gone to Germany now, so he’s up there as one of the best strikers in the division.

"He is in the top five in the world, in my opinion. So there should be interest, and maybe the time comes very shortly that Ivan moves on to another club. But they will have to pay a decent transfer fee to acquire his services because he is some talent.

"We won’t sell a player unless we are ready to sell. We sit in front of every player and say that, if your career goals are above and beyond us, at the right time and if your valuation is met, then we will be open to listening to the numbers. But it’s got to be right for all parties."