Future of Everton star who ‘loves’ the club assessed amid Man Utd interest: ‘he is important to the project…’
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana is reportedly set to remain at Goodison Park, despite interest from Manchester United and West Ham.
The 21-year-old has been one of the few positives in a poor season for the Toffees. Indeed, many pundits predict the youngster has a bright future ahead.
Onana arrived at Everton on a £33m transfer from Lille at the beginning of the campaign. Since, he has made 35 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal and making two assists.
It’s been a difficult situation for the Belgium international to walk into. The Merseyside club have endured a second successive relegation battle, only securing safety in the final game of the season this term.
Onana has also seen the departure of Frank Lampard during his time at the club, who was believed to have played a key role in luring him to Everton.
Nevertheless, the midfielder has dealt with the pressure admirably, featuring in all but five of Everton’s Premier League games. Now, as mentioned, he has the potential to become one of Europe’s top midfielders.
Onana ‘loves’ Everton despite Man Utd interest
As revealed by TEAMtalk, Manchester United view Onana as a potential replacement for Scott McTominay.
The Scotsman looks set to leave the club this summer, and Erik ten Hag is on the lookout for replacement options.
Also, West Ham United have reportedly reignited their interest in Onana. David Moyes’ team came close to signing the Belgian last summer, before Everton hijacked their move late on.
So, there is clearly no shortage of interest in the midfielder. Nevertheless, reports suggest that Onana ‘loves’ Everton, and it would take ‘a lot’ for him to walk away from the club.
This is according to journalist Dean Jones. Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “One of the good things for Everton in all this is that I have not heard from any contacts that they understand Onana to be a top target for any other club.
“That’s important, because one of the big things for him at Everton is how important he is to the project and the bond he has built.
“If clubs are just looking towards him as a back-up option in case their main targets cannot be signed it may not have the same lure for him.
“We have seen how much he loves Everton and it will take a lot for him to walk away from it. There is interest from other teams, there’s no doubt about that, but Everton do have a good chance of keeping him for now.”
Everton have slapped a £70m price tag on Onana, so it would take a hefty bid to convince them to sell regardless.
However, even if Man Utd or another team match their valuation, there is no guarantee Onana would be willing to leave.
