Manchester United are in the market to sign a new central midfielder and they have earmarked Amadou Onana as a potential option, as per Football Insider.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke claims that Everton accept that their star midfielder will leave the club if they get relegated at the end of the season, which is a possibility.
Along with signing a new striker, Erik ten Hag wants to bolster the midfield areas and he is looking for players with physical attributes who can complement the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen, with Onana firmly on his radar.
Football Insider claim that the Toffees are eager to keep hold of Onana. The club signed him from Lille for £33m last summer, and they cannot let him go easily. However, Everton are battling for survival and if they go down, they will probably have to sell the Belgian – who has a contract until 2027.
The online portal further adds that Ten Hag has been impressed by his debut season in England. The Toffees will be willing to accept bids of around £50m for Onana while the player will push to leave by handing in a transfer request if they go down to the Championship.
Cheaper alternative
Onana has managed one goal and two assists in 31 Premier League games this season. He established himself as a key player under Frank Lampard and is a regular under Sean Dyche as well.
United are currently well-stocked in midfield but they probably need another central midfielder if Scott McTominay leaves the club, while Marcel Sabitzer is also set to return to Munich following his loan spell.
The problem with Man United is that a chunk of their summer transfer budget will go into signing a new striker, and they may not be able to complete another expensive signing – someone like Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo.
It’s difficult to see them spending north of £90-100m for a midfielder after signing a top striker. Onana would definitely be a cheaper alternative than Rice or Caicedo, and won’t be a bad option for the club if they decide to push ahead with a move.
