The summer is rolling on. One of Chelsea’s priorities coming into this window was to sign an alternative to Nicolas Jackson, and so far it’s been a disaster.

Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen, Jhon Duran, Samu Omorodion… all avenues have been blocked so far. Time is running out and we’re starting to feel desperate – so perhaps it’s no surprise that we seem to be turning back to previous targets.

Today’s piece by Miguel Delaney in the Independent is all about Ivan Toney, a man we were all sure was going to make his big move last summer before a betting ban killed his chances. This summer was a second chance, but in the age of PSR, the interest just hasn’t been there at the prices that Brentford want.

Delaney remains convinced that Chelsea are interested, despite the striker’s age and valuation.

“Chelsea are another seen as a club who would almost be ideal for Toney due to both proximity and the lack of goalscorers in the squad,” Delaney writes.

“They are actively looking for forwards, and currently engaged in a long drawn-out negotiation with the camp of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen over wages for a loan deal. A planned purchase of Atletico Madrid Samu Omorodion meanwhile collapsed. With Osimhen refusing to lower his demands of €12m a year, Chelsea may yet consider other options.”

The writer adds that we’ve been put off by Brentford’s asking price – but that may start to slip as we reach January and the end of his contract. Despite all that, we just can’t see it happening. We’d have to smash our whole wage structure for a player closing in on 30. That’s just not something these sporting directors seem likely to want to do.