Toney, 27, will soon be available to play again following his eight-month ban from football after being charged with 262 breaches of the FA's gambling restrictions. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is so desperate to sign the ex-Newcastle striker that he's even willing to abandon his plans to bring in defensive cover in favour of going all out for Toney to rescue their Premier League title pursuit.
Liverpool and Manchester United have also been tipped to buy the 27-year-old, but Frank "can't see why" Brentford would sell, despite claims of a £100million asking price. Asked how much it'd take for the Bees to let Toney go, the Danish manager responded: "If I ever could recommend that, and it's not for me to say yes or no - that's Phil [Giles, director of football] or Matthew [Benham, owner] - it would need to be unbelievable, so he will stay here."
Frank has had to fend off questions about Toney's future all season, despite the England Euro 2024 hopeful not playing a single minute. "I don't think I've had one press conference where I haven't been talking about Ivan Toney in the last year," he went on to say.
"So yes you're more than welcome to talk about Ivan, he's a fantastic person and a fantastic player. He's a Brentford player, he's here, clearly we miss a few offensive players so I can't see why we would sell him and I’d love to have him here for a longer time."
Your turn! Who should Arsenal sign if they can't buy Ivan Toney? Join the debate in the comment section.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 27: Thomas Frank, Manager of Brentford, speaks to the media prior to the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Gtech Community Stadium on December 27, 2023 in Brentford, England.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank insists that Ivan Toney won't be sold in January
According to the Independent, Arsenal's recent struggles in front of goal have convinced Arteta that signing Toney is the necessary move in order to strengthen their title charge. Winger Bukayo Saka is currently the Gunners' top goalscorer in the Premier League, boasting six strikes after 20 top-flight games.
Wolves forward Pedro Neto has been linked as alternative, but Molineux chiefs will stand firm when facing interest this month and don't want to sell. Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke would be a more like-for-like option to replace Toney on Arsenal's shopping list, with West Ham also interested.
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