Brentford 'accept' key player will leave ahead of Liverpool clash, but they want £40m profit

Liverpool banked their first three points of the season in their opening clash with with Ipswich Town last weekend, securing a respectable 2-0 win thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah. The Reds travelled to Portman Road for the fixture and are back at Anfield this Sunday to take on Brentford.

It will mark Arne Slot’s first Premier League home match, so fans will be holding out for a convincing performance to get the Anfield record off to a strong start. The Bees will also be hoping for a second set of three points, following their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

However, with time still left on the transfer window, there is still a glaring situation that Brentford must address. The future of Ivan Toney has been one of the main talking points of the summer and the latest on the rumour mill is that a Saudi Arabia switch is one the cards. This is despite initial interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

According to The Times, Brentford ‘expect’ Toney to make the move to Al-Ahli this summer, the home of Liverpool icon Roberto Firmino and fellow ex-Premier League duo Édouard Mendy and Riyad Mahrez. The Bees had initially been holding out for £70 million for the striker but they were forced to lower their expectations due to lack of interest.

The report claims that Brentford are ‘hoping’ to cash in on Toney for £50 million now. A formal agreement has not yet been made between the two but both clubs ‘are confident’ they can strike a deal before the window closes.

Sky Sports has also followed up with the update that Al-Ahli ‘remain in talks’ with Brentford over Toney but the Saudi Pro League side are ‘believed to be some distance away’ from meeting the price set. However, the two parties are still discussing the details.

Brentford signed Toney back in back in 2020 from Peterborough for an initial £5million, rising to £10 million with add-ons. In that time, the 28-year-old has contributed 72 goals and 23 assists in 141 appearances. If the Bees can negotiate the full £50 million, they will make a handsome profit on the striker, which is an impressive coup considering his contract expires in less than 12 months.

Toney will be Brentford’s tenth departure of the summer if they can finalise his exit. The Bees have sanctioned cash sales, free exits and loan moves this window, including the permanent sale of David Raya to Arsenal. In return they have signed forward Igor Thiago from Club Brugge, and Liverpool’s former attacker Fábio Carvalho in a £27.5 million deal.