What Barcelona want, they don’t always get.
It is, after all, only two months since Joan Laporta – the president of the reigning La Liga champions – confirmed Barcelona’s intention to lure Swedish starlet Lucas Bergvall to the Camp Nou. Come the summer, however, Bergvall will be a Tottenham Hotspur player.
And there is a very real chance that history could repeat itself, another player the Blaugrana admire potentially on his way elsewhere. While Laporta was a little more guarded this time when quizzed about the prospect of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana moving to Catalonia, Barca’s well-documented financial concerns – plus interest from the likes of Manchester United – raises the possibility of another transfer target very publicly passing the Spanish giants by.
Barcelona go public with interest in Everton ace
“(Onana) from Everton; You talk about very good players. It’s this one and there are others. It’s not just this (Onana we are targeting),” Laporta tells Mundo Deportivo.
“There are players who can play that (midfield) role.”
According to Football Transfers, Man United initiated discussions with the £33 million Everton enforcer during the January window. An athletic, versatile, ball-winning midfielder is high on United’s list of priorities with Casemiro likely to go and Sofyan Amrabat’s loan deal ending.
Onana, like his Everton team-mate Jarrad Branthwaite, possess that fearsome blend of physical prowess and technical ability, the 6ft 4ins Belgium’s passing range and footwork often obscured by his height and tenacity.
The second coming of Marouane Fellaini – despite their shared citizenship and their Goodison Park backgrounds – he most certainly isn’t.
“At the moment, it’s (sporting director) Deco’s job (to sign new players),” Laporta adds, a FFP-pressured Everton expected to demand around £50 million for Onana. “Obviously, we are guided by Deco’s knowledge and opinion.
“There are several interesting players in that position.”
Manchester United’s Casemiro replacement?
Due to his age, his profile, his relative affordability and his proven track record in the Premier League, Onana ticks more boxes than most for a United side preparing for their first summer under Ineos control.
Especially when you consider that Joao Neves, another of United’s leading midfield targets, has a £104 million release clause in his Benfica contract.
Champions League rivals Aston Villa reportedly want a similar fee for their own midfield general; Douglas Luiz. That has not stopped former United captain Roy Keane recommending the brilliant Brazilian to his former employers, however.
“He turns up every week this player. Never seems to be injured. Quality player. I like him,” Keane tells The Overlap’s Stick To Football podcast.
“Some of the Villa players, you think they can certainly go on to play for a Man United, Arsenal or even Man City. You look at (Ollie) Watkins.
“But I like Luiz. He is consistent. Turns up week in and week out. You know what you are going to get from him. I like a lot about him. Probably lacks that real pace, maybe. (But) in terms of his decision-making and looking after the ball, very, very good.”