Everton show their hand as £50m transfer update shared on Arsenal target Amadou Onana
Everton would enter negotiations for Arsenal target Amadou Onana if they were to receive a bid of £50million this summer, according to Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper reported via its website on Sunday (16 June) that, while selling Jarrad Branthwaite would have a bigger impact on PSR, the sale of the Belgian could improve their position just enough.
It is understood that Arsenal are keen on the player, but it remains to be seen whether the Gunners would be able to afford such a deal for the talented midfielder this summer.
However, the bottom line is that Everton would be open to opening talks with Arsenal on the condition that their £50m valuation is first met.
Could Everton lose Amadou Onana this summer?
Onana has been registering interest for months now, with Barcelona heavily linked with the midfielder during the January transfer window.
It comes as no surprise, however, with the 22-year-old impressing during his two seasons in the Premier League with the Toffees, with Jamie Redknapp dubbing him a "really top midfielder" and a "leader" already [Sky Sports via HITC].
Of course, selling Onana this summer would not make nearly as much profit as completing a deal for Branthwaite with Manchester United would, having bought him from Carlisle United for £1m in 2020 [Liverpool Echo].
With the recent news around the Toffees' potential takeover with Dan Friedkin, the club may be able to make their own choices around transfers over the next weeks, though PSR will still be a factor.
It has become very obvious that the club would much rather sell Onana and keep Branthwaite than the other way around, with the latter becoming a vital aspect of Sean Dyche's team this season.
While the Belgian is showing plenty of promise at Goodison Park, it would be a devastating blow to see their star centre-half sold to a "big-six" team in the Premier League following a sensational season in defence.
Branthwaite joined forces with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and fellow centre-back James Tarkowski, only conceding more goals than Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool as he helped lead the Toffees away from the dreaded relegation zone.
Losing Branthwaite would therefore be a lot tougher to take than seeing Onana depart, as good as he is.
In other Everton news, a takeover should be finalised by August as a timeline is mooted at Goodison Park.
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