£55m potential transfer could kick-start Everton rebuild and keep key player at the club

Everton’s summer transfer business could be kickstarted thanks to the latest reports surroudning Chelsea’s interest in Amadou Onana.

The 21-year-old midfielder arrived from Lille last summer in a deal worth £35m, in what was an unexpected but smart coup for the Toffees. Onana had built a solid reputation as a rising star that was followed by West Ham and Liverpool, but Everton secured the move and he went onto become a key starter across his first season at the club under Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche.

Having been linked with a move away to Chelsea in the January window, the London club have seemingly rekindled their interest in the player. Onana had previously rejected a move due to his willingness to help Everton avoid relegation, which the club did thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory on the final day against Bournemouth, a game in which the Belgian started in.

However, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the West London club have reignited their interest in Onana, and with Everton in urgent need of generating funds, it’s a deal that could certainly happen. Everton reportedly want around £55 million for the midfielder which could constitute a strong £22m profit from the fee they paid last summer and it would certainly be good business on their end if it were to happen. The universal truth is that the club will need to sell, and Onana may be the sacrifice for the greater good.

What intrigues us about this deal is that Chelsea have already had a clear out of their current midfield roster with N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic all either sold or on the verge of leaving the club. There’s also huge question marks around Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount - both of whom the club are willing to sell. The need for Onana is clearly there, especially given his defensive contributions that Chelsea are eyeing up.

Ultimately, it will come down to which targets they opt for, as they are linked with a whole host of midfielders already - but Onana certainly fits the bill. For Everton, the money could be transformative as it would allow them to allocate the funds to help rebuild the squad after back-to-back relegation battles. It would also mean not having to sell another key asset in Jordan Pickford, who has been eyed up by the likes of Manchester United. Plus, the likes of Ellis Simms and Neal Maupay are also linked with a move away, as Dyche faces the tough task of building a more formidable squad to avoid anymore final-day dramas.