With how their last season went and from the media reports coming out of the club, it is clear that one of the top-most priorities for FC Barcelona in the coming summer transfer window will be the signing of a midfield pivot.
This is a clear area of weakness in the team since Sergio Busquets’ departure, and the Catalans have been keeping an eye on several candidates to strengthen this position, including the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Angelo Stiller, and Mikel Merino.
However, the favorite candidate of the Barcelona Sporting Director, Deco, is the Everton midfielder, Amadou Onana. According to Mundo Deportivo, he is the priority target for Barcelona for the pivot position, but the Catalans understand that signing him in the current market conditions would be a very difficult task.
This is particularly the case as other big Premier League clubs are also interested in him, and Manchester United are already offering €55 million fixed and another €5 million in variables to Everton, while also proposing a considerable salary for Onana.
In addition to the Red Devils, Chelsea, and Arsenal are also interested in the player, whose potential seems to be very high with the performances he has been putting up at the Merseyside club since 2022, at a quite young age of 22 years.
Onana has been a fixture in the Everton starting eleven for the last two years, and has retained this status under both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche. He has a contract till 2027 with the Premier League side.
Deco believes that with his physically imposing figure, he can significantly improve the balance of the Catalan team. Hansi Flick is also looking to make the Barcelona midfield more solid and full of energy for the full 90 minutes, and Onana perfectly meets the criteria set by the two Blaugrana officials.