Arsenal’s pursuit of Premier League star becoming more difficult

Arsenal will be hoping to return to winning ways when they face London rivals Fulham on Sunday afternoon. 

The Gunners have started the season strongly and sat top of the Premier League table until Liverpool defeated Burnley 2-0 on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side then missed the opportunity to return to the summit as they were beaten 2-0 by West Ham United at The Emirates on Thursday.

Arsenal travel to Craven Cottage to face a Fulham side that have been inconsistent this season, and were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth last time out.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Arteta is likely to want to bolster his squad ahead of a hectic second half of the season.

Signing a striker is a priority for the North London club, but their pursuit of Brentford’s Ivan Toney is becoming more difficult according to Football Insider.

Toney remains a target for Arsenal

The report claims that the England international remains the Gunners’ top target going into the January window, but agreeing a deal with the Bees is becoming more and more difficult.

Toney, 27, is currently serving a lengthy ban for breaching FA betting rules, and therefore hasn’t featured since May.

He is due to return to action next month, but it is claimed that Brentford are reluctant to sell the player during the January window and a summer move is therefore far more likely.

Toney joined Brentford from Football League side Peterborough United in 2020 and has since scored 68 goals in 124 matches for the Bees.

He has been particularly impressive since Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League, scoring 32 goals in 68 games in the top flight.

The report claims that the West London club will demand as much as £70 million for the striker, whose current contract is due to expire in the summer of 2025.