Chelsea are eyeing up a swoop for a Premier League striker who has been scoring for fun recently…

What’s the news?

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea are keen on signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney ahead of next season, although it could cost the London side north of £50m to complete any potential deal.

Toney’s contract expires in 2025 and Graham Potter could face competition from Manchester United – who are looking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo – in order to land Toney.

An upgrade on Aubameyang?

Chelsea signed striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer from Barcelona, however, the move hasn’t exactly worked out, with the player scoring just three times in all competitions for the club.

The nadir of his time with the Blues undoubtedly came against his former employers, Arsenal, as he was substituted on the 64th minute having touched the ball just eight times after making three accurate passes all game.

This season, Toney has scored 11 goals and registered three assists in all competitions, while he is sitting third in the race for the Premier League golden boot, behind only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

The 26-year-old, therefore, would be a massive upgrade, with the Englishman continuing his meteoric rise to the top, unluckily just missing out on selection for Gareth Southgate's England World Cup squad.

There is no doubt Chelsea urgently needs some firepower, with their attacking options scoring just ten goals between them all season and Toney is ready to make the next step up in his career.

The striker reacted in the best way possible from his World Cup omission by scoring twice against Manchester City at the weekend, including a last-minute winner. This led Statman Dave to dub the player as “underrated” in the aftermath of the famous victory.

Praise has come from ex-players too, with former Netherlands international midfielder Nigel de Jong describing him as a “baller” after his weekend double and this praise is justified.

Compared to Aubameyang, the English forward has proven to be a far more well-rounded asset throughout 2022/23, winning 3.1 aerial duels per game in the Premier League to the Gabon international's zero.

Furthermore, Toney's 2.9 shots and 1.4 key passes per match are considerably higher than the anonymous Chelsea striker, who has averaged only one and 0.5 in those metrics this term.

Although the report states Chelsea are looking ahead to next season, Potter should be pursuing a move in the January transfer window and bringing him to Stamford Bridge as soon as possible.

Following a bright start, the 47-year-old is beginning to feel the heat. Adding some firepower to his squad might alleviate the pressure and give him the licence to ditch the underwhelming Aubameyang in the process.