Chelsea hijack: Arsenal, Man Utd blow amid part ex claim as Pochettino’s side ‘race’ to sign £60m star

Chelsea is reportedly in the running to sign Amadou Onana from Premier League rival Everton, along with Arsenal and Manchester United.

During the summer transfer window of 2022, the Toffees defeated West Ham United to sign Onana for a reported fee of around £33 million from Lille, a team in Ligue Un.

The Premier League team avoided relegation last season thanks to the impressive play of the Belgium international, who has proven to be an excellent acquisition for Everton.

Several Premier League clubs have taken notice of his performances this season, and in recent days, he has been strongly linked to Arsenal.

Football Insider reported over the weekend that Everton “does not want to lose him and has slapped a £60m asking price” on the midfield player, while Arsenal is “exploring a potential deal for the midfielder this winter.”

Football Transfers has since claimed that negotiations between Everton and Manchester United for Onana have “initiated.” After the Toffees were linked to the Scotland international in the summer, the Red Devils are reportedly willing to offer Scott McTominay to their rivals in a partial exchange deal in order to facilitate a deal.

But they’re not the only ones who’re after Onana. According to Belgian publication Nieuwsblad Sport, Chelsea has “joined the race” to sign Onana and is also “keeping tabs” on him (via The Metro).

Meanwhile, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano asserted that Onana is “appreciated” by Arsenal and that he might take Thomas Partey’s place.

“I am aware that there have been some significant rumors circulating regarding Arsenal stepping up talks to sign Everton’s Amadou Onana. Naturally, this has some Gunners supporters thrilled, but I’m afraid that’s not all the information I currently have,” Romano said to Caught Offside.

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“From what I understand, Onana has always been a valued player for Arsenal; however, I do not currently have any additional specific updates at this time. We’ll see what happens over the next few days, but Arsenal still needs to have internal discussions before submitting firm offers.

“Thomas Partey has played very little for Arsenal this season due to injury, so we know they have problems in the midfield. Although Onana is a gifted player who might provide a similar contribution in the midfield, it is still too early to tell what will happen with Partey and Onana.

You may recall that Partey was being considered for sale during the summer until the end of June. However, Mikel Arteta ultimately chose to keep him, so anything can happen during that time. He is currently hurt, so there haven’t been any official updates, so things are quiet for the time being.