Arsenal are unwilling to go higher than €50 million to sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana during the summer transfer window, according to Voetbal Krant.
The Belgium international has been on the Gunners radar for the last few transfer windows and his agent was reportedly in contact with the club last month.
It has since been reported that the Gunners have made contact with the Toffees for the midfielder, but Voetbal Krant claim that they won’t pay over the odds.
There is currently a ‘financial struggle’ at the north London giants and they are likely to be more cautious with their spending after the huge outlay last summer.
While the Toffees value their prized asset at €60m, the Gunners are reluctant to offer more than €50m on the table to land the signature of the former Lille ace.
Barcelona have also been credited with an interest in the midfielder, but they are not in a position to spend more than €40m amid their own financial issues.
Arsenal likely to sign new defensive midfielder
The Gunners currently have Declan Rice, Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny, who can operate from the defensive midfield position under manager Mikel Arteta.
Out of the quartet, Elneny is expected to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in June while Partey could be sold by the club amid his persistent injury woes.
Arsenal have the option to extend Jorginho’s deal for another season, but a final decision on this could be made during the summer depending on the club’s transfer plans.
In our view, a new holding midfielder should be a top priority. Onana would be a lucrative option as he has already adapted to the Premier League with the Toffees.
The 22-year-old has a passing accuracy of 85 per cent this term with a stunning 6.7 duels and 2.5 tackles won per league game. The Belgian has averaged over six ball recoveries per outing.
Arsenal seem reluctant to pay over the odds and it is left to be seen whether they can persuade the Toffees into accepting a lesser figure during the next transfer window.
Their pursuit could become easier if the Toffees were to be relegated from the top-flight. We won’t be surprised if there is a low relegation release clause attached to Onana’s deal.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
