Chelsea are targeting a summer move for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.
That’s according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who claims the London club have resumed discussions with the Toffees, with a £55 million departure on the cards.
Onana joined Everton for £33m last summer and was one of the few players praised after a turbulent campaign.
However, Sean Dyche’s side could already be prepared to offload him to fund their own summer business due to financial issues.
The Blues were heavily linked with a move for the midfielder in the January transfer window but failed to lure him away from Goodison Park.
It now looks increasingly likely that he will make the move south, with a £55m switch potentially too tempting to turn down for Everton.
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Everton could demand a player swap deal if Amadou Onana joins Chelsea
While Everton are clearly in no position to be making ambitious demands, given their narrow escape from relegation and lack of cash to spend, Amadou Onana’s departure needs to be more beneficial for them.
The Toffees would make around £20m in profit if the Belgian moves to Stamford Bridge, however they could arguably ask for more, with Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse currently on the market for a whopping £50m.
However, it seems unlikely that the Blues would even consider splashing anymore cash on Onana this summer and could instead include a player in the deal.
Dyche’s side could benefit from the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Conor Gallagher arriving on Merseyside and could sweeten up Onana’s disappointing exit.
Everton would have to act fast if they wanted to include one of Chelsea’s stars in a deal for Onana, with the pair both linked with some of Europe’s top clubs.
The London giants are looking to offload a number of fringe players in order to fund another overhaul of their struggling squad, with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz also on the chopping block.