Everton: Chelsea open talks to seal Amadou Onana transfer after Arsenal update

Chelsea have opened negotiations with Everton in a bid to sign Amadou Onana amid interest from Arsenal, although the gunners are struggling financially, according to Voetbalkrant.

The Dutch news outlet reported on 12 February that, while Chelsea are willing to pay a lot of money to tempt Onana to Stamford Bridge, the Gunners will not pay over £42.5million.

Barcelona have also been linked with a move for the Belgian midfielder in recent days, but it appears Chelsea have made the first move in an attempt to land their target.

Chelsea could spend big money on the Everton star

Given Chelsea's previous spend on midfield additions, with the British-record £115million transfer fee spent on Moises Caicedo from Brighton and the £58million deal to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton, another big-money deal could be on the cards here.

It could be smart for Everton to try to drive up the price using interest from both Arsenal and Barcelona to kickstart a bidding war and make the most of the opportunity to make a profit on Onana.

Onana arrived at Goodison Park for a £36million fee, so any deal to let him go would have to be a significant increase on that price in an attempt to maximise their profit on the midfielder.

With Chelsea having already opened negotiations with the club, and both Arsenal and Barcelona watching on, it feels almost inevitable that Onana will spend the remainder of the season as his last at Goodison Park, with a big-money summer move certainly on the cards.

In other Everton news, Garth Crooks picked out two players who cost Everton the game v Man City.

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