HERE WE GO: Arteta welcome Amadou Onana as new Arsenal signing at London colney today, medical test done, jersey number picked,player to be Arsenal squad to face Nottingham Forest
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana is considering a move to Arsenal, but the club may not afford him this winter, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
The Gunners have been linked with the Belgium international this month and it was recently reported that his agent spoke with some club officials.
Arsenal are yet to make a formal bid for his services, but Het Nieuwsblad claim that talks are ongoing with the Toffees over a potential deal.
While the midfielder is also considering a move to the London giants, it is reported that they ‘cannot push’ to sign him due to financial ‘limitations’.
Everton are eyeing at least €70 million to part ways with the former Lille star.
Arsenal unlikely to afford Onana on permanent deal
Onana has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the English top-flight.
He has won 2.6 tackles and 7.1 duels per appearance this term alongside 6.6 ball recoveries. He has won 70 per cent of his aerial challenges alongside 50 per cent of his take-ons.
Onana would be a perfect foil for Declan Rice in the heart of the Arsenal field. Rice will have the opportunity to prosper from the number eight role if Onana were to join the club.
Arsenal had plans of doing so at the start of the season with Thomas Partey in the XI, but the Ghanaian has been injured for the last few months and he is no longer a reliable figure.
Onana could be seen as a replacement for Partey going forward. In our view, a deal seems unlikely this month with almost every Premier League club fearful of breaching FFP limits.
As per Transfermarkt, a total of €726 million was spent by the top-flight clubs on signings last winter, but that figure has been reduced to just €39m with teams wary of point deductions.
Arsenal are within the spending limits, but it is unlikely that they will make such a huge outlay on Onana.
A loan deal with an obligation to buy could be an option for the Gunners, but the Toffees may not agree to the same, considering they are in another battle to preserve their league status.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
