‘Of course not’: Manager claims he would not swap £50m Chelsea striker target for Erling Haaland

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Brentford manager Thomas Frank has claimed that he wouldn’t even swap Ivan Toney for record-breaking striker Erling Haaland.

He told Sky Sports that he believes the England international would hit 25 goals if he was in a top four team in the Premier League.

Chelsea have been linked with the signing of Toney this summer as they look to address the glaring issue up front at Stamford Bridge.

Goals have been extremely hard to come by this season for the Blues, which has been a major factor in them enduring a torrid campaign.

The Brentford man has been extremely prolific this season, sitting third in the top scorers’ charts behind only Haaland and Harry Kane.

Frank praises Toney

Despite the Norwegian already breaking the record for most goals scored in a single Premier League season, Frank has claimed that he still believes his own striker is too important to him to swap him.

He said: “Of course not [swapping Toney for Haaland]. I think what I would say is that Ivan in a top-four club would score 25+ goals, I’m convinced about that. With what he’s capable of doing. So I’m very happy he’s playing for us and not another club, and I think it’s remarkable what he’s done.”

There are a number of other names on the shortlist for Chelsea in terms of strikers, with it very likely that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be on the move at the end of this season.

Victor Osimhen has frequently been linked with a move to a top European club after his sensational season that led Napoli to the Serie A title.

While the Blues won’t be able to offer European football yet, the addition of the Nigerian would surely not keep them out of the competition for long.