Barcelona say goodbye to hope in signing Everton midfielder

Barcelona continues its preparations for the transfer market. Previously, there were reports that the Catalan club was monitoring Everton and Belgian national team midfielder Amadou Onana. The Blaugrana considered the 22-year-old an excellent option to strengthen the midfield for the upcoming season. Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, believes Onana possesses all the qualities needed for a defensive midfielder in their team.

However, it is highly likely that Onana will remain in England rather than move to Spain. According to Football Espana, Barcelona believes that Manchester United has a much better chance of signing the player.

Deco highlights that Manchester United has made it clear they are willing to offer Everton €55 million for Onana, as well as a substantial salary for the player himself. Due to Barcelona's financial difficulties, they are not in a position to make such an enticing offer.

Even if the Red Devils abandon the idea of signing Onana, Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in him.

Consequently, the Catalan club has decided to focus on other transfer targets. These include Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino and Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich.

Amadou Onana is a product of Belgian football academies and moved to Hoffenheim in Germany in 2018. After two years, he played one season each for Hamburg and Lille before moving to Everton in 2022 for €35 million. Currently, according to Transfermarkt, the player's contract value is €50 million.