Brentford striker Ivan Toney has seemingly sent a warning to everyone with his playing return just under two months away. The 27-year-old was given a lengthy footballing ban in May 2023 for breaching betting rules which saw him prohibited from playing for eight months and training with his team-mates for half of that punishment.

In the weeks and months following the confirmation of his ban, Toney posted numerous updates to his social media of his work away from the pitch to maintain his fitness and perhaps send a message to interested parties ahead of the January transfer window.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea are monitoring Toney ahead of the winter trading period as an option to bolster their attacking depth. Brentford are not interested in selling one of their star assets mid-way through season and also right as he returns, but the pull and financial power of those two clubs could prove to be too much, with Chelsea's January stance being revealed.

As football.london understands, Chelsea are strongly considering making a big-money offer to Brentford for Toney's services. The Blues have been dealt a number of injury concerns in the attacking department this season with Christopher Nkunku missing the entirety of the season so far while Armando Broja has endured a turbulent return from his long-term knee injury with a number of setbacks being suffered.

Adding Toney to Mauricio Pochettino's squad would certainly give Chelsea a new edge going forward with less pressure on Nicolas Jackson as a result. However, despite January quickly approaching, Toney is still yet to decide on his future, as per The Sun.

But, what is clear is that Toney is continuing to put in the hard work away from the training pitches and the public eye with another update on his condition which includes a clear warning. On Instagram, the 27-year-old reposted an update from trainer Jim Burnside with the caption: "The whole world is waiting. They've got no idea."

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The image also shows Toney flexing his arms appearing in incredible shape. Despite having not played for over half a year, Toney appears at the peak of his fitness suggesting getting up to match speed will be relatively straightforward when he returns because of the hard yards put in while he has been an unable to play football.