Brentford are braced for January bids for 20-goal striker Ivan Toney, who is subject to concrete interest from London duo Chelsea and Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest in the English striker, who is reportedly open to remaining in the capital even if he leaves Brentford in the winter market.
Despite interest from Chelsea and Spurs, Arsenal are considered the front-runners in the race for Toney’s signature, but the Gunners could be forced to fork out his £80 million valuation.
Despite sitting out up to eight months due to suspension, Toney’s valuation is on the rise following his last season’s top-flight exploits for Brentford, who remain reluctant to sanction his exit.
According to The Times, Arsenal could be forced to offload some of their fringe players, with Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Edward Nketiah likely heading for the Emirates Stadium exit door.
Their £200m outlay in the summer market means outgoing transfers may be required to facilitate a move for Toney to avoid Financial Fair Play troubles.
Meanwhile, having initially used their Premier League television rights to secure borrowing from Barclays Bank two years ago, Brentford have renewed the deal for the next two seasons.
As reported by Kieran Maguire, the Bees are set to land a significant cash boost from the Premier League for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons after signing off the rights to the money in return for a credit facility.
Brentford’s financial performance for the 2021/22 campaign, as revealed by Swiss Ramble, reflected their successful debut in the Premier League.
The Bees secured a remarkable 13th-place finish after a 74-year absence from the top flight under the leadership of Thomas Frank.
Following their Premier League promotion, Brentford transitioned from a pre-tax loss of £8.5m to a substantial profit of £29.9m (£25.7m after tax), marking a significant turning point for the club.
The extraordinary shift was primarily driven by a staggering increase in revenue, surging from £15m to an impressive £141m, setting new records for both revenue and profit for the club.
The primary catalyst for Brentford’s £126m revenue growth was attributed to broadcast income which witnessed a substantial surge from £11m to a staggering £115m, thanks to the far more lucrative Premier League TV deal.
Commercial revenue also more than tripled from £4.6m to £15.6m while matchday revenue increased from £156,000 to £10.4m, mainly attributed to the return of fans to the stadium as COVID-19 restrictions eased.
