Everton are now under huge pressure to sell Amadou Onana this summer as Chelsea target the Belgium international.
What’s the story?
Well, it was Simon Phillips who told Give Me Sport that Chelsea are looking at the Everton No.8 this summer after failing with a move for his signature in January.
Onana – who Everton signed from Lille for £33m back in August 2022 – narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship in his debut campaign at Goodison Park, but could already be leaving.
The Daily Mail mention that Everton find themselves involved in special measures with the Premier League after recording losses of £370m across the last three years, more than clubs in England’s top-flight are allowed to lose.
Therefore, another major sale needs to be made by the Toffees following the £45m received from Anthony Gordon’s move to Newcastle in January.
That represents a boost for Chelsea, as Everton seemingly have no leg to stand on in negotiations.
Onana – who has been called a “strong personality” by Roberto Martinez – made 33 Premier League appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, scoring one goal while also providing two assists.
Chelsea should begin to push for Amadou Onana
In our view, it is strange that Chelsea haven’t made a concrete offer for Onana yet – it seems he would be fairly simple to sign this summer.
The Blues have been strongly linked with the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Moises Caicedo, Declan Rice and Romeo Lavia so far this summer.
However, Chelsea have missed out on Ugarte to PSG, while Rice and Caicedo have price tags worth £120m and £80m respectively.
Therefore, a £30m bid for Onana – who Everton have to sell – could initiate a pretty smooth period of negotiations, which would contrast the difficulty faced by the Blues so far in the hunt for a new midfielder.