Chelsea make big Ivan Toney decision as West Ham line up £20m swoop for Bundesliga star

Welcome to your Wednesday round-up of the biggest transfer rumours buzzing around the Premier League – and let’s start at Stamford Bridge, where reports are emerging that Chelsea are losing interest in one of their main summer transfer targets.

Caught Offside have word from Fabrizio Romano that the Blues are cooling their heels on the concept of signing Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who had been near the top of the shortlist for the number nine role this summer but has apparently fallen out of favour.

That’s despite Toney scoring four goals in his first eight games for the Bees since returning to action after an eight-month ban for gambling infractions. Apparently Chelsea simply “aren’t that convinced anymore” and are looking at “different strikers in terms of age” – the England international is 27. This could all be good news for Arsenal and Manchester United, who Romano believes to still be interested.

The 3AM Verdict: Apparently Chelsea’s priority is Victor Osimhen, although that seems like an increasingly optimistic preference given how far they are from a Champions League spot just now. We’d also observe that spending big on a very young squad hasn’t really paid off yet and Toney’s extra experience could be extremely helpful – but it’s probably true that Osimhen is better, in fairness. All too easy to see this backfiring, though, when both players join different teams and Chelsea are left scrambling around for an alternative.

Hammers in for Germany winger

Let’s hop on the tube and head to the other end of London, now – where Sport Witness have some pretty exciting news for West Ham United fans. Apparently, reports in Germany suggest that VfB Stuttgart winger Chris Führich, who has six goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season, is a summer target for David Moyes, and he has a budget-friendly release clause which could smooth the deal’s passage.

Führich, who made his debut for Germany in October, has been superb this season and his attacking returns have propelled Stuttgart up to third in the German top flight. So the possibility of buying him for €20-25m (£17-21.5m), with the exact size of the clause determined by Stuttgart’s final league position, should set some mouths watering. West Ham will have competition, however – RB Leipzig are also interested in the 26-year-old.

The 3AM Verdict: Führich is something of a late-bloomer, having not made his Bundesliga debut until he turned 23, but he’s making up for lost time and two decent seasons have been followed by an excellent one. He’s got decent pace and dribbling skills and a lovely passing game, which has made him a real creative force this campaign – and at around £20m, he looks like an excellent signing.

Three-way fight for Scottish star

Elsewhere, HITC come bearing news of a three-way transfer battle which is developing of Scotland international midfielder Lewis Ferguson, who plies his trade with Bologna in Serie A – but who could be on his way to the Premier League, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Brentford all keen.

The nephew of former Scotland captain Barry, Lewis is a hard-working central midfielder who has stamina to burn, never shirks a tackle and passes the ball with efficiency – and loves the occasional goal. He isn’t a massive creative outlet, but more of a pressing machine who turns the ball over and gets it to the next man quickly and efficiently. Also able to play wide, he’s been likened to John McGinn, not entirely unreasonably. No fee is mentioned, but Transfermarkt reckon he’s worth about £15m.

The 3AM Verdict: The 23-year-old isn’t a flashy player but is effective, and has the kind of work ethic you can’t help but respect, so you can see why Premier League clubs would be keen. He seems like an especially natural fit for Thomas Frank’s hard-pressing Brentford side, but any of those three clubs should be glad to have him at the right price. £15m seems on the high end, but could easily be worth it.