"Too much for him" – Glen Johnson fires transfer warning to Arsenal and Chelsea over deal for Premier League attacker
Glen Johnson has offered a transfer warning to Chelsea and Arsenal, claiming that Ivan Toney's reported asking price is quite over the top.
Toney, 27, has emerged as a hot topic of transfer speculation in the past couple of months. He has reportedly attracted interest from a host of Premier League teams apart from the aforementioned two sides.
According to TEAMtalk, Brentford are not ready to let go of their star on the cheap. They could demand between £80 million and £100 million to part ways with the ex-Newcastle United striker Toney next January.
During a recent interaction with British betting website Betfred, Johnson was asked to share his thoughts on Brentford's reported valuation of the Englishman. He said:
"It's probably a case that that's what they're hoping for, opposed to what they'll actually get for Ivan. Brentford know that they're only going to get one chance to sell Ivan Toney and they will want to receive as much as they possibly can for him."
Johnson, who lifted two Premier League titles with Chelsea, continued:
"I don't think his price will drop too much because of the ban because it's not as if Ivan's been injured for the past six months. If it was an injury we were talking about, then Brentford surely couldn't demand such a fee for Ivan."
Opining on the Arsenal target's rumored price tag, Johnson concluded:
"Once Ivan is match fit, then there will be no problems going forward but I still believe that £80 million to £100 million is too much for him anyway."
Toney, whose betting-related ban is set to end next January, guided Brentford to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League last season. He netted 21 goals and laid out five assists in 35 games for his team.
Ex-Chelsea star Willian opens up on time at Arsenal, reveals he regrets joining the latter
Speaking to Sky Sports, Fulham winger Willian insisted that he regretted departing Chelsea for Arsenal in 2020. He said (h/t Sport Bible):
"I wasn't happy. That's why I didn't perform. I don't want to go into the details. When I arrived there I was happy, from the beginning I was motivated, I wanted to do well – new club, new mates, new project."
Willian, who joined Arsenal from Chelsea on a free transfer, concluded:
"But after three months, I said to my agent: 'Please, I want to go'. I don't want to speak bad about the club, because it is a big club. Arsenal has a big history. In football, big players played there before as well. But it didn't work. It was the most difficult time of my career."
During his time at the Emirates Stadium, the ex-Chelsea star featured in 37 games across all competitions. He scored one goal and registered seven assists for Mikel Arteta's side in the 2020-21 season.
Willian, who made 339 overall appearances for the Blues between 2013 and 2020, is currently a key starter for Fulham. He has netted six goals and laid out as many assists in 41 games for them so far.