Everton transfer news: ‘Important’ Amadou Onana update emerges amid Arsenal and Chelsea interest
Everton have a “very good chance” of keeping Amadou Onana this summer because he loves the club and he isn’t the top target anywhere else, says Paul Brown.
The midfield star has been mooted as the primary transfer target in the Toffees side that barely squeaked home on the final day of the season, with interest from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle [Daily Mail, 28 May].
But amid an obvious bond built between the Belgian and Everton this season he is tipped to remain at Goodison Park since none of the interested clubs apparently have him at the top of their list.
Brown, the former Daily Star reporter, told GIVEMESPORT: “One of the good things for Everton in all this is that at this moment in time I have not heard from any contacts that they understand Onana to be a top target for any other club.
“That’s important, because one of the big things for him at Everton is how important he is to the project and the bond he has built.
“If clubs are just looking towards him as a back-up option in case their main targets cannot be signed it may not have the same lure for him.
“We have seen how much he loves Everton and it will take a lot for him to walk away from it. There is interest from other teams, there’s no doubt about that, but Everton do have a good chance of keeping him for now.”
Commitment
Onana demonstrated his love for Everton once already when he shunned Arsenal and Chelsea in the winter, at a time when Anthony Gordon looked like he couldn’t wait to escape and Arnaut Danjuma turned his back on a loan move at the 11th hour.
He surely has the quality to be operating at a higher level than a relegation battle, and with finances perpetually a concern at the club the chances of a Richarlison-style exit seem real.
But if clubs are all looking at Declan Rice as the priority, with the likes of Moises Caicedo also thought to have a significant market this summer, then maybe Onana does stay.
At 21 he has plenty of time on his side, and if he doesn’t feel that any of the other clubs who might yet make an offer want him as much as they want others then he may adopt the same stance he did in January.
The way spoke about the final-day escape in a recent interview with L’Equipe (30 May) demonstrated how he feels about Everton, so potential suitors will likely have to make him feel wanted to get him to leave.
It would be somewhat of a coup to keep the Belgian international at Goodison Park off the back of a 17th-placed finish, but based on Brown’s update it looks like it isn’t too farfetched.
That might all change as the window goes on if the aforementioned Premier League sides suddenly make a big push, but for now the signs are fairly positive for the Toffees.