Arsenal are closely following Everton midfielder Amadou Onana ahead of a potential approach this summer, according to Spanish publication Sport.
The Gunners have been linked with the Belgium international for some period of time, but they have yet to make a formal approach for his services.
Sport (page 8) claim that the former Lille man has high ambitions. He could pursue a new challenge away from the Toffees after the European Championship.
Barcelona are among his admirers, but the club are not in a position to spend big as things stand.
They are currently permitted to spend only 25 per cent of any fee received. The Blaugrana are waiting for approval from La Liga to relax the restriction.
Amidst this, Arsenal are following in the footsteps of Onana, who could be sold for £43 million with the Toffees needing funds to balance their books.
Onana would be a good replacement for Partey
The 22-year-old had a good 2023/24 campaign with the Toffees. He made 30 appearances in the top-flight where he excelled with his defensive attributes.
Onana won an impressive 66 per cent of his duels with 2.4 tackles and 5.3 recoveries per game.
He completed 85 per cent of his passes for the Toffees who are generally a low possession side. The Belgian also had a long ball accuracy of 71 per cent.
Former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez described him as a ‘really exciting‘ player in 2022 and we certainly back his opinion based on the recent season.
In our view, Onana would be an ideal replacement for the injury-prone Thomas Partey, who could be sold. His contract expires in June 2025 and no contract talks are planned.
Onana has already proved his credentials as a defensive midfielder in the league and he could also offer a major set piece threat with his dominating presence at 6 feet 5 inches.
The midfielder scored two headed goals for the Toffees last term. He could certainly improve on that tally with the Gunners who were the best scorers from corners and set-pieces last term.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
