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Daily Cannon
·13 July 2024
Aston Villa close to £50m deal for Arsenal-linked midfielder
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Daily Cannon
·13 July 2024
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: Amadou Onana of Everton celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate James Tarkowski during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on February 19, 2024. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Saturday morning that Aston Villa are in the process of finalising an agreement with Everton to sign Amadou Onana.
The deal is reportedly worth around £50m, with personal terms in place for a long-term contract.
Unai Emery had made Onana a key target, and the player is keen to play for the Spanish manager.
Arsenal had been credited with an interest in Onana at one stage, but that move certainly seems to be off the table now.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: Amadou Onana of Everton acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Everton FC and Aston Villa at Goodison Park on January 14, 2024. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Whether Arsenal were ever in for Onana is more than a little dubious.
John Cross wrote for the Mirror in June that Onana was “definitely not” joining Arsenal this summer, adding that the media links raised eyebrows back in January as well.
Cross went as far as to claim Onana “is not the type of midfielder [Arsenal] want”.
Less than a week later, The Athletic reported that though Onana does have admirers at Arsenal, a move for his signature was never in the works this summer.
Belgian national soccer team Red Devils’ Amadou Onana takes part in a training session, two days before their international friendly football match, at the Royal Belgian Football Association RBFA’s headquarters in Tubize on March 26, 2023. (Photo by TOM GOYVAERTS/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
Further reports later in the month suggested a Champions League club had made contact with Everton over Onana, and some claimed it was Arsenal.
It now seems more likely it was actually Aston Villa, with Villa also in the Champions League next season.