Reported Arsenal target Andre Onana could leave Eredivisie champions Ajax on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer, director of football Marc Overmars has told Ajax TV, translated by Voetbal Primeur.
Considering the Amsterdam giants have built their reputation on a buy-low, sell-high transfer policy – making massive profit on the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Davinson Sanchez and Arkadiusz Milik – the prospect of losing a potentially elite-level goalkeeper for nothing would really sting.
But with Onana out of contract next summer and seemingly reluctant to sign an extension, you’d imagine Overmars would look for a favour from his former employers.
According to Goal, Premier League strugglers Arsenal could revisit their long-running pursuit of the one-time Barcelona youngster in the January transfer window.
Onana, who held talks with the Gunners before the summer market closed, has been identified as a replacement for Bernd Leno, another goalkeeper who will be a free agent in ten months’ time.
Leno, according to reports, is a target for Serie A giants Inter Milan.
And, should Arsenal make a bid in the winter Ajax deemed acceptable, no-one would stand in Onana’s way.
Will Andre Onana finally join Arsenal in 2022?
“We have been very clear. We have been working on extending his contract for a long time. Well, that doesn’t work,” Overmars said when asked about Onana’s future, his frustration palpable.
“In football you never know – but I don’t see (a contract extension) happening any time soon.”
When discussing a potential January departure for a man who hasn’t been seen since February because of a doping ban, Overmars insisted Ajax would sooner see Onana leave for nothing than for a knock-down fee midway through the campaign.
“(A January exit) could (happen) but it must yield a decent amount. If the amount is insufficient, (he will leave) for nothing in June.”
According to Goal, Ajax wanted £7 million for Onana this summer. It remains to be seen how much they will demand in four months’ time.
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