Chelsea are considering a January move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, 90min understands.
Toney, who has 32 goals in 68 Premier League outings for Brentford, is banned from playing competitive football until January after breaching gambling regulations, but is free to return to training with the Bees this weekend.
Alongside a return to match action, January could also see Toney become the subject of a transfer battle as sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea officials have been analysing a possible move for the 27-year-old.
It is by no means a guarantee that Chelsea will move for a new striker in January, with manager Mauricio Pochettino keen to give fair opportunities to both Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja, the latter of whom is close to returning from injury.
However, should the duo fail to solve Chelsea's goalscoring crisis, then a bid for a new striker is possible and 90min understands Toney is on a shortlist of potential targets, although concerns over his age - Toney will turn 28 in March - have left some at Stamford Bridge uncertain as to whether a big-money move is the right call.
In that regard, 22-year-old Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord has also been identified as an option. The Mexico international, who was pursued by West Ham United during the summer, has five goals in his first four Eredivisie games this season after ending last year with nine goals in ten outings.
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Brentford are well aware of the interest in Toney but have no desire to part ways with their talisman and instead hope to tie him down to a new contract. His existing deal runs until the summer of 2025.
The Bees hope that their decision to publicly stand by Toney - manager Thomas Frank insisted in May that he had "no doubts" about the striker's future at Brentford - will help convince him to sign a new deal at the Gtech Community Stadium.
As for Chelsea, the Blues will continue to weigh up a potential move for Toney while they watch how Pochettino's team evolves over the coming months.
Jackson has made a positive impact but is yet to add a reliable source of goals to his game, while Broja is coming back from knee surgery which cost him around nine months of his career, and Chelsea want to give both players time to prove themselves.
Christopher Nkunku is also due to return from a knee injury of his own towards the end of this calendar year and there is a confidence the Frenchman's comeback will have a huge impact on Chelsea's attacking fortunes.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Chelsea consider January move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
