Brentford will not allow Arsenal target Ivan Toney to leave on loan during the January transfer window, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

There have been rumours that, due to FFP rules, the Gunners may consider a loan bid for the 27-year-old next month but, writing in his Daily Briefing Substack column, Romano said such a proposal would be rejected:

“Some reports have also suggested that Arsenal could try signing Ivan Toney on loan from Brentford, as they did with Raya, but I’m still told Brentford are only open to giving green light to Toney exit in case of an important proposal, otherwise they’re more than happy to keep him there until the end of the season. There are no changes to report so far.”

It has previously been claimed that Brentford want around £80m for Toney so, if Romano’s information is accurate, it appears the Gunners will have to stump up a large amount of cash if they want to sign the striker.

There will be competition for Toney’s signature

The likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in Toney over the past few months.

With the forward in such high demand, Brentford will feel that they can hold out for a sizeable fee in January, even though they know that the player will have just a year left on his contract at the end of the season.

Are Arsenal considering alternative targets?

Due to the cost of signing Toney, it is not a surprise that Mikel Arteta’s side have also been linked with cheaper options.

Over the last couple of weeks, Salernitana’s Boulaye Dia and Santos’s Marcos Leonardo have been mentioned as possible targets. Both have been priced at around the £20m to £25m.

Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are other names that have been suggested but they would cost a similar amount to Toney, if not a lot more in the case of Osimhen.