Ivan Toney, the prolific English striker currently excelling with Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, is reportedly prepared to take a 50% pay cut to force a January return to the Premier League.
The 29-year-old believes that only by playing in England’s top flight again can he put himself back in contention for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Having fallen out of recent international selections, with his last cap coming in June 2025, Toney feels the higher competitive level is essential if he is to challenge the likes of Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke.
Since joining Al Ahli from Brentford in August 2024 for £40 million, Toney has enjoyed a lucrative four-year contract that pays him around £400,000 per week after tax, potentially rising to £500,000 with bonuses, making him one of the highest-paid English players anywhere in the world.
In Saudi Arabia he has continued his outstanding goal-scoring form, netting 41 goals in 59 appearances and 11 goals with 2 assists in just 15 matches this season. Despite that domestic success, England’s preference for players based in Europe’s top five leagues has left him on the outside looking in.
To facilitate a move, Toney is willing to drop his wages to roughly £200,000 a week, a significant reduction but still a figure that would rank among the Premier League’s top salaries.
Al Ahli’s sporting director has insisted the club do not want to sell, yet Toney has personally informed them of his desire to leave in order to pursue his World Cup dream.
Negotiations are ongoing, and any deal would likely involve a loan fee or permanent transfer payment, complicated further by potential UK tax implications if he returns before completing a full tax year abroad.
Tottenham Hotspur are currently leading the race, with manager Thomas Frank, who knows Toney well from their Brentford days, keen on a reunion to provide the clinical centre-forward his side has lacked.
Everton are also pushing hard, seeing him as a marquee addition to their attack under David Moyes, while West Ham, Chelsea and even a sentimental return to Brentford have been mentioned, though budget constraints make several options difficult.
At 29, soon to turn 30 in March 2026, Toney views the upcoming World Cup as potentially his final chance at a major tournament.
With only seven caps and no international goals to date, returning to the Premier League represents his best opportunity to remind everyone of the physical presence, hold-up play and deadly finishing that once made him one of England’s most feared strikers.
His camp describe his resolve as absolute: he is ready to sacrifice millions in salary for the chance to wear the Three Lions again on the biggest stage.
As the January window approaches, Ivan Toney’s situation highlights the continuing tension between Saudi Arabia’s financial power and the enduring prestige of European football.
If a deal can be struck, his return could prove one of the most fascinating stories of the winter transfer market and give England another proven goal-scorer as they build toward the 2026 World Cup.