West Ham United have ‘no intention’ of meeting Amadou Onana’s wage demands as Premier League rivals Everton close in on a £35 million deal for Lille’s Ligue 1 enforcer, as reported by The Standard.
This is not the first time a potential West Ham transfer has fallen through this summer due to problematic personal terms.
Jesse Lingard joined Nottingham Forest after talks over a return to the London Stadium hit the buffers. Villarreal forward Arnaut Danjuma also slipped through David Moyes’ fingers. The gap between West Ham and the player’s representatives, it seems, was not one that could be bridged.
And, earlier this week, The Sun reported that the Europa League semi-finalists had finally reached an agreement with Lille on a £35 million deal for Onana, having failed with a couple of earlier bids for the 20-year-old Belgian.
But that was the easy bit. Yes, West Ham are willing to invest over £30 million in a youngster with 11 top-flight starts under his belt. But, with regards to Onana’s lofty wage demands… well, let’s just say it was a very different story.
Everton beat West Ham United to Lille’s Amadou Onana
According to The Times, the former Hamburg starlet wants over £100,000-a-week.
With Fabrizio Romano now reporting that Everton are on the verge of securing Onana’s signature instead – uttering those three magic words, ‘Here we go’ – we can only presume that the Toffees are willing to meet Onana’s demands.
“Amadou wants to go to Everton himself,” the midfielder’s representatives confirmed on Thursday.
And comparisons have been made between the 6ft 5ins Onana and another rangy Belgian who made his name at Goodison Park.
“Amadou is reminiscent of (Marouanne) Fellaini,” says former Rangers ace Thomas Buffel, who made Onana the captain of his Belgium U21 side (HLN). “Especially in stature.
“He can also play in the ‘ten’ role. With his movement and height, he can be dangerous in the box. His versatility is an asset. The ‘six’ and ‘eight’ roles are more his natural positions.
“He has tremendous athleticism – ideal for the Premier League.”
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