Chelsea may be able to get one of their targets for a much lower fee than initially anticipated.

Ivan Toney was previously valued at £100m by Brentford, according to Sky Sports.

However, a report from the Daily Mirror has claimed that the Bees will have to soften their stance and could now lower their price tag down to £60m amid interest from Chelsea.

In an ideal world, Brentford would not even entertain the idea of selling Toney in the summer. He is the club’s best player, scoring 21 goals in 35 appearances for them last season.

However, with the 27-year-old’s contract expiring in 2025, Brentford may be forced to part ways at the end of the campaign to avoid the risk of losing him on a free transfer. Tottenham Hotspur also have Toney on their radar but are reluctant to get into a bidding war with Chelsea.

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Brentford could slash Ivan Toney’s price tag

Brentford reducing the amount of money that they want for Toney, who has been described as a “world-class striker” by Hermann Hreidarsson, would be great news for Chelsea.

The Blues will obviously not want to pay £100m for a player who could cost nothing next summer and also because of profit and sustainability rules.

At £60m, signing the England international becomes a much easier deal to do, though it could entice other sides like Tottenham to make an offer.

Whatever the case, Chelsea need to bring in a new centre-forward for the 2024/25 season. Nicolas Jackson is the only natural No.9 in Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad right now and the Senegal international is not enough.

This term, Jackson has scored eight goals in 23 Premier League appearances, which is not the worst record. But is it enough to fire Chelsea back into the top four? Their position of 11th in the table suggests no. So if the Blues can get Toney or someone else, then they have to.