With Amadou Onana’s departure from Everton all but confirmed, Sean Dyche’s side are now leading the chase to sign a new defender.
Toffees target Onana successor this summer
The big news out of Goodison Park is that the saga around Amadou Onana’s future has finally come to an end. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on Saturday that the Belgian is on the verge of joining Aston Villa for a fee in the region of £50 million.
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With the 22-year-old’s exit expected for some time, The Toffees have long been on the search for Onana’s successor in the middle of the park. Wilfred Ndidi was thought to be Everton’s perfect candidate to fill this vacancy, however, it has now been reported that the Nigerian has opted to remain at Leicester City, signing a new three-year deal at the King Power Stadium.
The Toffees have also held a longstanding interest in former Liverpool man Arthur Melo. The Brazilian midfielder is a free agent this summer after his contract with Juventus expired at the end of last month. Despite featuring for just 13 minutes during his time at Anfield, Everton have made contact with the player in the hope that he can help fill the gap left by the departing Onana.
Whilst a lot of the Toffees’ time appears to be being spent on finding an Onana replacement, it is reported that the Merseyside outfit are also serious about bringing in a sought-after defensive player this summer.
Everton ahead in the race for Serie A defender
As relayed by Sport Witness, the Italian press are claiming that Everton are leading the chase to sign Hellas Verona defender Jackson Tchatchoua. The outlet claims that the Toffees seem to be serious about signing the player having already made a bid for the defender via an intermediary to try and kick-start negotiations.
This development follows news from earlier this month which stated that Everton had an interest in Tchatchoua, however, it now transpires that the Toffees have gone one further and put in a bid for the full-back. West Ham were also said to be eager to pursue a move for the 22-year-old with the Hammers looking for a new right back to replace the outgoing Ben Johnson.
The report by Sport Witness claims that Verona want €8 million (£6.9 million) minimum to part ways with the defender this summer. Having paid just £2.5 million last month to make Tchatchoua's loan from Belgian side Royal Charleroi S.C. permanent, the Italian outfit would be in for a decent bit of profit if the deal is to go through.
Throughout his 26 league appearances for Verona last season, the natural full-back played as both a right and left-sided midfielder, suggesting that he is not afraid of pushing forward when necessary. Tchatchoua's versatility could prove vital to Dyche's side next season as they look to once again stave off relegation from the Premier League.
