Highly-coveted LOSC Lille midfielder Amadou Onana is reportedly stalling on a move to West Ham United as he prefers a switch to Everton instead.
According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Everton have submitted a bid for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana in a bid to hijack West Ham United’s €40 million deal for the highly rated 20-year-old, who prefers a move to Goodison Park rather than the London Stadium.
Amadou Onana enjoyed a productive debut season in Ligue 1 with Lille last term after arriving at Stade Pierre-Mauroy last summer. He was an integral part of the Lille first team last season, featuring in 31 Ligue 1 games and all eight UEFA Champions League games.
The 6ft 5in midfield powerhouse built himself a reputation for breaking up play and bossing the midfield last term, earning himself plenty of admirers across the continent with his athleticism, high defensive output, and no-nonsense style of play.
West Ham United, for one, have been chasing the Belgian international midfielder throughout the summer and have looked set to win the race for the 20-year-old’s signature. Reports this week have claimed they have now agreed on a €40 million fee with Lille, with David Moyes very keen to get a deal across the line. But personal terms have posed a problem for West Ham.
Amadou Onana wants to join Everton over West Ham as proposal has been submitted to Lille, while Filip Kostić has still not accepted West Ham proposal on personal terms. ? #WHUFC #EFC
Juventus in the race, as they want Kostić as new winger and Leandro Paredes as new midfielder. pic.twitter.com/ptt8MF5DPs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 4, 2022
But the transfer saga has taken a fresh twist, with Everton planning to hijack West Ham’s deal, having matched the Hammers’ bid. The Belgian also prefers a move to Goodison Park instead of joining West Ham. That is because the Toffees are offering a superior financial package to the player, putting Everton in the driving seat to snatch him away from West Ham’s hands.
Everton boss Frank Lampard is pushing to reinforce the midfield after making additions to the attack and the defence. Idrissa Gueye’s imminent arrival will ease those concerns, but, at 32, the Senegalese midfielder is likely to be a stop-gap solution. And it seems Lampard is keen on acquiring another midfielder who can offer a high defensive work rate. That is where Onana comes into the picture, who is only 20 years old, meaning there is plenty of room to improve his game.
This news comes as yet another blow for West Ham after they were previously beaten by newly-promoted Premier League club Nottingham Forest to the signing of Jesse Lingard due to their inability to offer better personal terms. They have already added Flynn Downes from Swansea City.
But Mark Noble’s retirement and Alex Kral’s return to Spartak Moscow means there is still need for midfield reinforcements, and they might have to look elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Hammers also appear to be losing ground in their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt wing-back Filip Kostic, who has yet to accept personal terms offered by the English club, with Serie A giants Juventus also in the fray.
