Man Utd leave Prem rivals stunned with big move for midfield star after Juventus hijack Sofyan Amrabat swoop
Amadou Onana and Lucas Paqueta battle as West Ham face Everton
Manchester United have left one of their Premier League competitors shocked after a report detailed their prospective swoop for Amadou Onana of Everton, amid a troubling update over Sofyan Amrabat.
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag remains keen to further bolster his midfield this summer, having already landed Mason Mount in a £60million deal from Chelsea. For several weeks, the Dutchman has had his sights set on Fiorentina’s Amrabat.
The pair have a good working relationship, as Amrabat played under Ten Hag at Dutch club FC Utrecht between July 2015 and July 2017.
However, the Red Devils are at serious risk of missing out on Amrabat. On Friday, it emerged that Juventus are pushing hard to keep the Morocco star in Italy.
This has forced Man Utd to look for alternative midfield signings. And according to the Daily Mail, they have decided Everton’s Onana would be a great option.
The report states that Man Utd will move in for Onana, should Amrabat’s switch to Juve be confirmed.
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Onana, 21, was one of Everton’s top performers during a troublesome campaign in 2022-23. On his day, he can be something of a force of nature in midfield, with the ability to bully opposition players.
Man Utd clearly believe Onana can make the step up and shine for them at Champions League level, while also aiding their push to get in the Prem title race.
Everton may have to sell Man Utd target
Under normal circumstances, Everton would be desperate to keep Onana, given how impactful he has proven to be for them. However, the Toffees may have to reluctantly sell Onana to help fund moves for some of Sean Dyche’s main transfer targets.
So far, the only player Everton have spent money on is 19-year-old centre-forward Youssef Chermiti, who cost £15m when joining from Sporting recently. Everton have brought in Ashley Young on a free transfer and also loaned Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal, having missed out on the La Liga star to Tottenham in January.
The report does not mention how much Onana – who has played six times for the Belgian national team – might cost Man Utd to sign. Although, sources have previously put his valuation at around the £40m mark. A transfer at this price would see Everton make a slight profit on Onana, having originally spent £33m when landing him from Lille in summer 2022.
Should Man Utd complete Onana’s capture, then he would likely replace Fred in Ten Hag’s squad. Man Utd have announced that they have agreed a deal with Fenerbahce for the Brazilian to move to Turkey on a permanent basis. As per the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd will receive an initial £8.6m for Fred, while the deal could rise to £13m depending on bonus clauses.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has revealed who Man Utd are scouting as they look to replace West Ham-bound Harry Maguire.
