Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have both set their sights on Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, who could reportedly cost around £25 million.
According to Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Andre Onana. The Ajax goalkeeper is expected to leave the club for a fee of £25 million, with fellow Premier League giants Chelsea also monitoring his current situation.
A product of the Barcelona youth academy, Onana has enjoyed seamless success since joining Ajax in 2015. In fact, his excellent performances in the Eredivisie have also helped him attract his former employer, who are apparently creating a contingency plan in the potential event of Marc Andre ter-Stegen’s exit while PSG, too, are also interested.
Therefore, we are likely to witness a bidding war this summer for the services of Onana, which is unsurprising given the impact he has had over the past couple of years.
Indeed, the Cameroonian goalkeeper has flourished under Erik ten Hag’s leadership. His performances in between the sticks were critical for Ajax last season as he helped the club not only win the Eredivisie but also reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea, therefore, are presumably eyeing him as a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Spaniard, after arriving from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, has found life difficult in the Premier League.
He was notably excluded from the starting lineup by Frank Lampard in February after failing to put in consistent performances. It was followed by rumours linking him to a move away from Stamford Bridge, with Real Madrid being one of the clubs reportedly interested in his services.
Tottenham Hotspur are also facing a similar situation. Their first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has endured a steady decline in his game over the past three years or so. He has also struggled with a lack of fitness, notably missing a chunk of the campaign due to injury.
As a result, manager Jose Mourinho has had to rely on Paulo Gazzaniga. But, he too has failed to win over the fans and is clearly not ready to become the first-choice ‘keeper for the Spurs. The Lilywhites have thus set their sights on Onana.
As iterated earlier, the Cameroonian international has enjoyed success at the highest level of football over the past couple of seasons. He has also gained a significant amount of experience, having notably made 178 competitive appearances for Ajax.
However, what makes Onana such an appealing target is his ability to play the ball out from the back. That means he can certainly compete with modern-day Premier League goalkeepers. Hence, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes shape this summer, especially with so many clubs interested in his services.