Paul Winstanley wants Chelsea to land £80m player in January

Paul Winstanley wants Chelsea to land £80m player in January

Paul Winstanley really wants Chelsea to go and sign Brentford’s Ivan Toney in the New Year.

That is according to well-respected journalist Simon Phillips.

Paul Winstanley, along with Laurence Stewart, is a co-sporting director at Stamford Bridge.

Apparently, the Chelsea chief has his eyes set on Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who’s frequently linked with the Blues in the transfer rumour mill right now.

When discussing Chelsea’s striker targets via his Substack this week, Simon Phillips mentioned Napoli’s 24-year-old frontman Victor Osimhen.

However, Phillips has now been told that Winstanley would prefer to sign Toney, 27, when the January transfer windows comes around in less than two months time.

It is understood that Brentford’s attacker is viewed as the smarter and more affordable option.

Phillips adds that he’s yet to find out the preference of other Chelsea directors, but Winstanley is leaning toward Toney.

Ben Jacobs claimed on Substack this week that Brentford could demand as much as £80million for Toney, which makes a January transfer “difficult” for the Blues. He added that some in Chelsea’s leadership group are not convinced the Bees striker is the right fit for them.

If Chelsea do end up bringing Toney to the club in 2024, we’re going to be very happy with that news!

Unlike some other Blues targets, Toney is the definition of Premier League proven.

He’s the complete No 9 with great pace, physicality and quality in front of goal. His lack of activity recently while he serves a suspension is the only grey area around him, though.

We’re pretty confident Brentford’s talisman can score goals if he makes he move to a big-name club, so Chelsea fans should be pleased if this deal does heat up in the coming weeks.

It’s been pleasing to see Mauricio Pochettino’s side start to score goals on a much more regular basis in the last few matches before the international break, but the club still needs to fill a void and find someone who guarantees a 20-goal season every year.