Everton face major Amadou Onana transfer dilemma as PSR pressure builds

Everton midfielder Amadou Onana is currently away on international duty at the European Championship with Belgium, although speculation about a transfer continues to intensify.

Onana has shown flashes of promise in his two years with the Blues, enough to see him linked with a number of top clubs in the Premier League and across European football.

The latest reports on the 22-year-old's future suggest a move abroad could be on the cards, too, with Bayern Munich interested in a deal that could be worth £50million. Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in Onana, who has spoken candidly about wanting to move away from Merseyside.

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With Everton potentially needing to sell to meet their PSR threshold a deal could make sense for all parties. But at £50m, would the Blues be getting value for money?

Chris Beesley - Onana sale could be Everton's most astute piece of business

Of course Everton are not getting “value for money” if they sell Amadou Onana for £50million but it could still be the most-astute piece of business that they do all summer as they look to reshape their squad ahead of Goodison Park’s historic final season.

In so many ways, Onana is the most-gifted footballer in the Blues squad, and he possesses an array of the tools in his locker to become a world-class player. Shortly after his appointment, Sean Dyche contacted Onana’s fellow Belgian Steven Defour who played for him at Burnley to give the young man some pointers and the former Claret proclaimed he could “become a real midfield powerhouse.”

Indeed, when Manchester United, who maintain a longstanding interest in Onana, were linked with a move for him last August, Goodison Park chiefs believed that over time, their charge could become as good as – or even better – than Moises Caicedo, who had just joined Chelsea for a British record £115million fee. The 22-year-old may still do that, but it won’t be with this Everton side.

Whether it’s Dyche’s tactics, the player’s attitude or just a requirement to have better quality around him, Onana’s performances for the Blues have often left many feeling that he can produce a whole lot more and it’s perhaps telling that he did not any of the three home victories in the space of a week at the end of April that propelled the team to safety. A parting of the ways this summer seems a satisfactory solution for all parties and preferably before the end of this month to beat the cut off for the end of the financial year.

Everton seem prepared to take a hit on Onana’s fee as his exit is by far the most palatable of all their big names and in generating the cash that they could get, they can hopefully retain other prize assets or at least demand top dollar for their services rather than having rivals – like we’ve seen so far with Manchester United and Jarrad Branthwaite – attempt to pull their pants down with derisory offers.

Matt Jones - A fair fee for a player who doesn't quite fit

When central midfielders were frequently moving for fees in excess of £100m last summer, Everton may have been hopeful of landing a similar sum for Onana. But shifts in the market, the implementation of PSR rules and inconsistent form from the midfielder have put an end to those hopes.

It's why at this stage £50m feels about right for a footballer who has never really fitted into what Sean Dyche is trying to do at Everton.

At his best, Onana demands possession in deep areas and tries to drive the team forward. At times, he can be risky on the ball and while he's a capable passer, he needs better technical players alongside him to flourish.

The Everton squad is not built that way, nor is it likely to be remoulded. So for Onana to fulfil his undoubted potential, a move would seem to be sensible for all parties.

A fee of £50m - after Lille have had their cut of the profits per the initial agreement that brought him to Everton - would help the Blues get over the PSR threshold, you would hope. It would also give the club a better footing from which to play hardball if offers come in for Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Some may feel that Onana's gifts as a footballer should command a more substantial fee. But Everton are seemingly set on smart and swift trading in this window, if their early moves are anything to go by. Onana moving on for £50m in the coming days would continue that trend.

Paul Wheelock - It's sad that it's come to this

It's sad that it's come to this. But if Everton do have to sell a big name before June 30 in order to comply with spending regulations, then Amadou Onana is that man.

The Blues would be mad to cave in to Manchester United over Jarrad Branthwaite and they need to give Dominic Calvert-Lewin more time to weigh up his new contract offer before cashing in. But if a club comes calling for Onana ahead of Sunday's Profit and Sustainability deadline (what has the game come to?), they will reluctantly have to sell. Even at £50m.

Make no mistake, one of his many suitors would be getting a potential snip. Yes, we have seen glimpses of his prodigious talent in both an Everton and Belgium shirt, but the impression lingers that Onana's very best is yet to come. That's why £50m feels cheap.

But if it means avoiding another points deduction, and if it means keeping hold of Branthwaite for at least one more season, then it's a deal they should make. And, let's not forgot, Onana has not been slow in coming forward about his ambition to play for a Champions League club.

It appears he might be about to get his wish. But it's still a shame that Evertonians will, from afar, have to watch him blossom into the player he looks destined to become.