Chelsea and Arsenal have both made an approach for Ivan Toney (Getty)
Chelsea will need to ‘shatter’ their wage structure in order to beat Arsenal to the signing of Ivan Toney and face the same problem with Victor Osimhen, according to reports.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already made an approach to sign Toney ahead of the January transfer window but they face strong competition from Arsenal, meanwhile, Brentford are demanding £80 million for their leading striker who scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season.
Osimhen is also on Chelsea’s radar after his impressive performances for Napoli and the Nigeria international has already left the door open to a potential move to the Premier League next year.
The Telegraph’s Matt Law reports that Osimhen is Pochettino’s first-choice target but Chelsea’s current wage structure would prevent them from signing
‘Here’s where I am with Osimhen, I don’t know this for pure fact but I’ve got a good source on it, I think Osimhen would be Pochettino’s first choice,’ Law said onthe London Is Blue podcast.
‘Actually, [Kylian] Mbappe would be Pochettino’s first choice but that ain’t going to happen. He loves Mbappe. I think if you asked Pochettino who he would have in his team out of Mbappe and Harry Kane he would go Mbappe. He absolutely loves Mbappe.
Victor Osimhen is on Chelsea’s striker shortlist (AP)
‘But let’s be real. Talking realistically, Osimhen is Pochettino’s first choice.
‘I don’t see it [for] January. Just because… and I know Napoli talk a lot on transfers, they deny a lot of things and then do the opposite, I know, but I think that transfer in January is probably very difficult to do in terms of what you’d have to pay, both the club and him, and also their reluctance to do it.
‘In the summer, as long as he doesn’t go anywhere else, I could really see Osimhen in Chelsea. Because I think at the moment convincing Osimhen to join Chelsea even might be tricky, just because in his eyes he looks at the table, they are a mid-table football club at the moment, we know they’re not a mid-table club, realistically they’re not a mid-table team, but if he’s looking at it in January they might be sat in mid-table.
‘But the biggest problem Chelsea have with all this, and this is what’s going to be fascinating, is the wage structure.
‘They are not going to be able to sign a top striker within their wage structure. They are not even going to be able to sign Ivan Toney in their wage structure. Ivan Toney isn’t moving to Chelsea on £100,000 a week, or £120,000 a week, or £90,000 and millions in bonuses if they win the Champions League and win the league. Ivan Toney has got one big last opportunity at a contract, he’s going for £150,000 to £200,000 a week plus, and that’s where he’s going.
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‘Similarly, you have to imagine with Osimhen, if he comes to England he’s chasing the big money. He turned down Saudi Arabia in the summer, now that was more a football decision, but they would have been offering him absolute fortunes, he’s not joining Chelsea on £100,000, £120,000, £130,000 a week either.
‘None of the A-list or even B-list strikers are coming for that money. I find this really interesting. Chelsea are going to have to shatter that wage structure that they’ve implemented elsewhere in the team to sign the type of striker that they and Pochettino will want, unless they’re going to take a chance on someone, but there’s no point in doing that, they’ve got that guy, they’ve got Jackson, that’s the guy they took a chance on and it might still work. But there’s no point signing another Jackson.
‘If they get a striker, for me, it has to be an elite striker and they’ll have to shatter their wage structure and manage that situation.
‘I personally would be extremely surprised by Osimhen in January. I do think he’s Pochettino’s first choice, and I do think there’s a chance for the end of the season if Chelsea can decide what they’re going to do on their wages.’
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