Arsenal update emerges in hunt for Amadou Onana as Manchester United and Barcelona chase Everton transfer
Arsenal are not in the hunt for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana “for the moment” despite interest hotting up from elsewhere, according to Santi Aouna.
The Foot Mercato journalist reported via Twitter on 20 December that the Gunners are currently not one of the club’s looking to sign the 22-year-old, after colleague Sebastien Denis had reported Barcelona and Manchester United as prominent with further “European leaders” also lurking to make a January exit a realistic possibility [Foot Mercato].
Aouna claims there is currently “nothing with Arsenal” despite the Catalan giants having already held a meeting with Onana’s representatives over a summer move, and United “following closely”.
Arsenal were linked to the Belgian international during the summer window before they signed Declan Rice from West Ham, and were reported by the Daily Mail on 18 December to be closely watching him ahead of January as a potential replacement for Thomas Partey.
Transfer explosion
If the race has just been kicked off by Barcelona, with various other big clubs apparently engaged, then it could well become the headline subject for Everton’s January window.
Sean Dyche is sure to be loath to lose the star midfielder, despite his penalty miss in the Carabao Cup this week, and will no doubt hope that the finances off the pitch don’t force the club to accept an offer that meets their asking price – said to be up to €60million [£51.9m].
If clubs sense that next month is their last chance to make a run at him before Xavi can do a deal at the Camp Nou then there is probably every chance that Arsenal and others could still get involved in the next few weeks.
Although the Toffees coped admirably during Onana’s three-game injury absence recently it would be a big ask to expect them to do so long-term should they lose the former Lille man.
In light of the sparkling form that Dyche has got Everton on this season, overcoming a 10-point deduction along the way, it is surely important for the Goodison Park hierarchy to put off questions over a potential sale until the summer at the very least.
Keeping Onana full stop would be preferable but if he has to go to a Champions League club then it would be far less disruptive to the operation on Merseyside for it to happen after the season concludes.
At the same time he has been a potential big-money sacrifice in every window since he arrived under Frank Lampard two summers’ ago and has stayed put so perhaps an exit isn’t inevitable.
In other Everton news, a Toffees loan deal is set to be terminated during the January window as a Premier League alternative has been lined up.