Experienced striker being discussed as Chelsea transfer target again

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is reportedly being discussed again as a potential transfer target for Chelsea up front this summer, according to Simon Phillips on Substack.

The England international has shone in his career in the Premier League and has also made a small impact for his country at Euro 2024 this summer, so it will be interesting to see if he can finally earn a big move that has looked like a possibility for him for some time now.

Phillips claims Chelsea have discussed Toney again as they look for a new striker this summer, with no new updates on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, and with the Blues keen to sell the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja.

If Chelsea cannot land Osimhen or other names like Jhon Duran and Samu Omorodion, then it could be that turning back to someone like Toney again could be a good option for the west London giants.

Toney transfer would represent a change in strategy at Chelsea

Still, there’s no doubt that looking for a proven and experienced name like Toney would be a major move away from the long-term strategy that has been Chelsea’s focus in recent times.

Aside from a few exceptions like Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, most of the signings of the Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali era have been young and up-and-coming players for the future, rather than ready-made stars.

Toney clearly isn’t the youngest, so wouldn’t be an option for more than two or three years at most, but it might be that Chelsea are willing to be a bit flexible on their recruitment philosophy from time to time.

That might not be a bad idea, as CFC fans will be growing frustrated by waiting for this young team to develop enough to deliver the kind of success that they’re used to seeing at Stamford Bridge.