Ivan Toney was left out of Brentford’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace as transfer interest in the striker ramps up.
Toney has just one year left on his Bees contract and speculation is growing over an exit.
That only intensified as he was absent from the squad that took on Crystal Palace in their season opener on Sunday.
Speaking before the game started, Bees manager Thomas Frank said:”A lot of things are going on with Ivan, especially with transfers, there’s a lot of transfer interest.
“Because of all that, we’ve decided not to include him in the squad. I can’t give too much away.
“Of course, Ivan is a top player, he has been fantastic for us for four years but we showed last season we can cope without him.
“Is it his last game? Who knows. There is interest, it’s not close.”
This was a sharp U-turn from the situation earlier this week, with Frank saying Toney would be available for selection.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “The fresh news is that he trained out there with a big smile on his face – he looks sharp, with a good attitude, and is available for Sunday.”
However, the club elected to leave him out, and they didn’t miss him at all, beating Palace 2-1.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa were the goalscorers in Toney’s absence.
After the match, Frank then admitted that Toney has probably played his last game for the Bees.
When asked if it was a case of when not if Toney leaves in the post-match press conference, he said: “That is fair.
“But let’s talk about how big of a loss he is when we get to that point.”
talkSPORT understands the England international is a top target for Al-Ahli.
However, if Toney is to make a move to Saudi Arabia, he wants huge wages.
The striker is looking for around £17million per year to swap west London for the Middle East.
Toney had been on Tottenham’s radar before they swooped for Dominic Solanke in a £65million deal.
Arsenal had been another club monitoring his situation, but Brentford’s £50m valuation is likely to be out of their price range.
Toney started his career with hometown club Northampton Town but earned himself a move to the Premier League with Newcastle in the summer of 2015 aged 19.
However, he failed to break into the Magpies first-team having been shipped out on loan on six occasions during his three-year spell at Newcastle.
He dropped down to League One Peterborough United in the summer of 2018, where he excelled having scored 49 goals in 94 appearances.
Fine form for Posh saw Championship side Brentford come calling, the west London club paid up to £10m for Toney’s services in August 2020.
He settled in immediately at Brentford, firing in 31 goals as they earned promotion to the top flight for the first time since the 1946/47 season.
However, last season he was banned for eight months after admitted betting offences.
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News Summary:
- Thomas Frank delivers huge Ivan Toney transfer update as star striker left out of Brentford’s win over Crystal Palace
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.