Arsenal and Chelsea will have to pay £70 million to sign Amadou Onana in the summer window from Everton.
According to Football Insider, Everton could demand £70 million to allow Amadou Onana to leave for one of the Premier League giants. Arsenal and Chelsea have been interested in the Belgian midfielder since January. They could resume their chase in the summer.
The January market saw top Premier League clubs scrambling for new midfielders. Surprisingly, Liverpool most needed a new player in the middle. They ended up trusting a youngster in Stefan Bajcetic to lead the central areas, but Arsenal and Chelsea had other ideas.
Chelsea were keen to shore up their midfield in January and had considered many options. They ended up signing their priority target Enzo Fernandez by paying a British record transfer fee. Before that, they were keen on Everton star Amadou Onana.
The towering Belgian midfielder has been one of Everton’s shining lights in yet another difficult season. With financial difficulties engulfing the Toffees, a big summer sale could ease their problems, with Onana one of their prized assets.
Everton reportedly want £70 million for the Belgian midfielder if some of the big clubs are keen on signing Onana in the summer. However, that demand could drop significantly if the Toffees suffer relegation in May. Yet, they would certainly look at making a decent profit over their £33 million investment in the midfielder last summer.
Arsenal may retain an interest in Onana ahead of the summer window. The Gunners enquired about him in January but ended up signing Jorginho from Chelsea to shore up their midfield. While they are keeping tabs on the Belgian, Mikel Arteta’s priority for the defensive position would point toward Declan Rice.
Onana could become a contingent option to Rice, and Arsenal could turn their attention if they fail with the West United captain. They might face competition from Chelsea, who could also line up Onana as an option. Their league position could make transfer activities tricky in the summer.
Chelsea are keen on a defensive midfielder to complete their setup. Manu Kone is an option for the Blues and will cost considerably less than Onana. However, Onana’s Premier League pedigree could prove valuable to the club hierarchy. They will always have reservations over the price Everton want.
The pathway for Onana to get out of Goodison Park could become clearer if Everton suffered relegated. In any case, the midfielder may like playing for a bigger team, challenging for trophies, than fighting with a struggling side.
