Barcelona want huge Amadou Onana discount from Everton after Arsenal and Chelsea make calls
Barcelona will not go higher than €40million [£34.2m] in their quest to sign Amadou Onana from Everton in the summer, according to Sport.
The Spanish outlet reported on their website (9 February) that Camp Nou sporting director Deco has guaranteed that he will put in a bid if it is possible to land the midfielder for that price, which is expected to hinge on how much he wants to play for Barcelona.
That is because Everton are said to have set a €60m [£51.2m] asking price for the 22-year-old, a figure that the financially restricted La Liga giants would have to “work miracles” to achieve and would entail selling multiple players to make happen.
Meanwhile Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly both already made contact over Onana based on the higher price tag.
Wishful thinking at Camp Nou over Everton transfer
The likelihood of the Belgian star leaving for a price that barely surpasses the £33.5m Everton paid for him a season and a half ago [Sky Sports] seems very small if they are a Premier League side by the summer.
If things go badly for the club over the next four or five months, specifically results, the takeover, and the points deduction appeal, then relegation could be a real danger once again.
In that eventuality then it is the sad reality for Everton that Onana leaves one way or another, but even then it seems likely that Premier League suitors would be able to outbid Barcelona.
Assuming the club stay in the top flight then there he might not go anywhere, as there has been no shortage of suitors in the past year and he is still an Toffees player now.
Profit and sustainability concerns around the league, ironically sparked by the treatment of Everton, has brought spending a long way down, so if they were forced to sell Onana then they could be faced with a depressed market that layers another level of punishment on the situation.
Whether Arsenal or Chelsea can or will bid big money in the summer remains to be seen although they certainly appear to be sniffing about, and Barcelona are hoping for a bargain, but the important thing right now is the former Lille man is in Sean Dyche’s squad until May and will be needed in a big way between now and then.
In other Everton news, one pundit wanted a Toffees star screamed at on the pitch for what he did.
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