Chelsea, Tottenham ‘reignite interest’ in £400k-a-week striker after Saudi Pro League transfer saga

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly rekindled their pursuit of Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who is struggling for motivation in Saudi Arabia.

The former Brentford man was initially expected to be at the centre of a transfer battle between Arsenal and Chelsea over the summer, with rumours of a £100m tussle brewing in January.

However, the Bees failed to drum up serious English interest in the striker, despite apparently lowering their demands to around £50m, leading Toney to join Saudi side Al-Ahli instead.

The England international was memorably at the heart of a wild deadline day saga, when Victor Osimhen was seemingly Al-Ahli bound, just a few minutes before it was announced that a fee had been agreed for Toney.

Osimhen’s proposed switch from Napoli to Al-Ahli fell through, though, and the Nigerian eventually joined Galatasaray on loan, paving the way for Toney to head to the Middle East.

The 28-year-old has made a respectable start to life in Saudi Arabia, scoring eight times and providing three assists in 17 appearances, but he has failed to score in his last five Saudi Pro League appearances.

According to Fichajes, Toney could now try to seal a return to the Premier League after failing to truly excel in the gulf state, where he has not found the same level of ‘motivation’ or ‘competitiveness’.

Having been unable to ‘fully adapt’ to Saudi Pro League football, Toney is apparently pining for a return to the Premier League, and both Chelsea and Spurs have shown an interest in giving him a second chance in England’s top flight.

The two London giants supposedly believe that the Englishman’s experience and previous record in the Premier League would make him an ideal acquisition, although a move will not come without its roadblocks.

Toney’s contract with Al-Ahli runs for another four seasons, and the Middle Eastern giants could try to hold out for a profit on the £34.8m that they paid to secure his signature on transfer deadline day.

The striker is also earning just over £400,000 a week at Al-Ahli – according to Capology – and he would need to take a huge wage cut if he was to return to his homeland in 2025.

Toney amassed 36 goals and 11 assists in 85 Premier League appearances before jumping ship for Saudi Arabia, including 20 goals in the 2022-23 season before his eight-month betting ban.

Should Chelsea, Spurs take a punt on Toney?

While Chelsea’s pursuit of a new big-name striker ended in failure over the summer, Nicolas Jackson has excelled up top and is just six goals away from matching his total of 14 in last season’s Premier League.

With Cole Palmer also capable of producing outrageous strikes and remaining as clinical as ever from the spot – breaking a Premier League penalty record against Spurs on Sunday – Chelsea have no need to spend the big bucks on Toney, both transfer fee-wise and wage-wise.

However, Spurs could do with competition for Dominic Solanke, especially if the injury-riddled Richarlison moves on next year, but Toney’s extortionate wage packet could still pose a problem.