Image source, PA Media

Since helping Brentford win promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Ivan Toney has scored 36 goals from 85 appearances in the Premier League.

He missed the first half of last season having been given an eight-month ban for breaking Football Association betting rules.

After returning to action in January, he scored four goals in his first five games, but did not score again in Brentford's final 12 games of the campaign.

Toney scored his first goal for England during a friendly against Belgium in March and went on to make three substitute appearances during Euro 2024, scoring in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals as the Three Lions beat Switzerland.

The former Peterborough striker turned 28 in March and has one year left on his contract with the Bees.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

The Saudi Arabian bid for Ivan Toney was from the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The group has a controlling stake in Newcastle United, as well as Saudi Pro League teams - Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli - and they want to place Toney with Al Ahli.

The bid is thought to be in the region of £35m, including add-ons.

Nick, Kent

Ian

Anon

So who is interested in signing Ivan Toney from Brentford?

Teamtalk reports, external that representatives of the England striker are in talks with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.

However, Sky Germany, external says that Manchester United are not interested in pursuing a deal for the 28-year-old.

Those are two of the top stories in today's gossip column. Click here to see them all.

Brentford

It's a matter of when, not if, Ivan Toney leaves Brentford, says manager Thomas Frank.

The England striker was left out of the squad for Brentford's home game with Crystal Palace on Sunday yet the Bees still managed to make a winning start to the season thanks to goals from Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa.

Before the game, Frank told Sky Sports that Toney had been left out of the squad because of "transfer interest".

Asked if Toney has already played his last match for Brentford, Frank replied: "Who knows? There is interest. It's not close."

But when asked by BBC Radio 5 Live if it was a matter of when Toney leaves and not if, Frank added: "Yes, I guess that is fair."

If Toney leaves, replacing his goal threat is likely to be a talking point, but the Bees were at their ruthless best without him on Sunday.

That video of Marc Cucurella singing at Spain's Euros after-party is a hard listen, there is no doubt about that.

Right, we will continue to bring your reactions to Raheem Sterling's statement, but we are now going to switch to another significant absentee from Sunday's Premier League action - England striker Ivan Toney...

After he won the Euros with Spain, Marc Cucurella was filmed singing the 'Cucu Cururella' song, with the line 'Haaland trembles, Cucurella is coming'.

After the game on Sunday, Erling Haaland told Viaplay Football, external: "He is a funny man. Last season he asked for my shirt. And this summer he sings a song about me..."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Tom

Jagon, Bristol

Irrespective of Raheem Sterling's input in the build-up to Sunday's opening game of the Premier League season, David James believes that new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was already facing a tough task to mould a first-team squad of 43 players in time for the start of the campaign.

The former England goalkeeper told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think Enzo Maresca is going to have a difficult job.

"I think City were excellent yesterday - very disciplined, defended very well. Savinho in the first half was exceptional.

"In regards to Chelsea, the mistakes they were making yesterday were nothing to do with the manager. They were giving away throw-ins.

"When you’re doing things like that you’re just encouraging City to go on and win the game."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Chelsea fan Alex Churchill reacting to Sterling's statement on BBC Radio 5 Live: "It’s idiocy and it's unprofessional.

"I think there were 10 or 11 players that were very disappointed to have been left out of the squad yesterday.

"Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp were scathing on TV and I don’t think they were wrong.

"I don’t think he’s done himself any favours. I think he’s shot himself in the foot massively."

Image source, Getty Images

Dave

Anders

Chris

Raheem Sterling shone for England at Euro 2020 [played in 2021], scoring both of England's goals in the group-stage, but has not added to his 82 international caps since the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

He was dropped for the Euro 2024 qualifiers and never made it back into Gareth Southgate's squad for Germany this summer.

It remains to be seen whether Sterling will be recalled by interim England manager Lee Carsley.

The 29-year-old has gone on record to say he misses playing for his country, but with a hoard of options in his position and a lack of game time at Chelsea, it seems unlikely Sterling will force his way back into England reckoning any time soon.

Image source, Getty Images

Ryan

Ebrahim from Nuneaton

Raheem Sterling has failed to hit the heights with Chelsea that he enjoyed with Manchester City, where the England forward picked up four Premier League titles, five League Cups and one FA Cup.

As a 20-year-old, he arrived at City from Liverpool for £49m in 2015 - making him, at the time, the most expensive English player ever.

Towards the end of his time at the club he found opportunities more limited, due to competition with the attacking talent brought in by Pep Guardiola, prompting a £50m switch to Chelsea in July 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

John Murray
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live

I’m struggling to remember this kind of thing happening before in exactly this way.

They have around 40 first team players and simply the manager can’t keep everyone happy.

Raheem Sterling's performances last season weren’t his best.

I think he's got a bit of thinking to do over the next week.

Marc

Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in July 2022 to become the club’s first major signing in the Todd Boehly era. He arrived for £50m.

His time at Stamford Bridge has not quite gone to plan.

Last season he scored 10 goals in all competitions and nine the previous year, giving him a total of 19 goals from 81 appearances for Chelsea - a dip from his figures with City, where he scored 131 goals in 339 games.

Stephen Kelly
Former Republic of Ireland defender on the Football Daily Podcast

Image source, Getty Images

For someone like Raheem Sterling, he’s too long in the tooth.

Speak to your manager, that’s him just trying to make a statement, trying to say 'I don’t know what’s going on, the club is a shambles' basically.

Realistically, if he was playing to his best ability, the way we know Raheem Sterling can, he’d probably be in the team. So that’s probably what’s happening.

It's hard to take sometimes and players want to force their way out of a situation. That might be the case for Raheem, by releasing that statement.

But at Chelsea, it’s like an NFL team - the amount of guys in the changing room must be off the scale, it’s actually ridiculous.

• Click here to listen to the full episode of Football Daily.

It is clear that Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has had plenty to deal with since his appointment in the summer, and the consensus has been that Raheem Sterling's statement was another problem he could have done without in the build-up to Sunday's opening Premier League match at home to reigning champions Manchester City...

Co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly have spent about £1.5bn on players since taking over Chelsea just over two years ago, following Roman Abramovich's successful reign.

The squad Graham Potter inherited in 2022, after he became Eghbali and Boehly's first managerial appointment, 100 days into their reign, was so big that the dressing room reportedly had to be reconfigured to fit more people in, and players had to change in the halls.

Chelsea had to leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of their squad for the Champions League knockout stages that campaign even after he had started all the group games because of the size of their squad.

And that will be another issue for current boss Enzo Maresca, who will have to name a squad for the Premier League of 25 players (excluding under-21 players), with at least eight of those considered homegrown.