Frank Lampard personally phoned Amadou Onana to convince the LOSC Lille midfielder to reject interest from West Ham United to join Everton, with Goodison Park now his priority.
Frank Lampard convinced Amadou Onana to prioritise Everton interest
Everton have moved ahead of interest from West Ham United in the race to sign Amadou Onana after Toffees boss Frank Lampard got personally involved in talks with the LOSC Lille midfielder. That’s according to Foot Mercato, who note the Irons thought they had a deal.
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David Moyes was convinced Onana would he heading to the London Stadium this summer after upping the Hammers’ offer. The Scot returned to the negotiating table with a €35m (£29.5m) bid, rising €5m (£4m) with add-ons, that convinced Lille to part with the Belgian.
Lille did not plan on letting Onana leave the Stade Pierre Mauroy this summer, having only signed him from Hamburg last year. But Les Dogues could not turn down the vast profit on offer for a player they only signed for €7m (£6m) and started 11 Ligue 1 games last season.
New Lille boss Paulo Fonseca would have given Onana a more substantial presence in his plans this term with Renato Sanches likely leaving the Hauts-de-France region outfit. But West Ham’s determination and resources convinced the Portuguese to let the Belgian go.
However, while West Ham and Lille had an agreement, Onana had not accepted any of the Irons’ proposals. And he now prioritises a move to Goodison Park, instead, after Lampard phoned the one-cap international to discuss Everton’s interest in Onana joining the Blues.
Everton ready to match West Ham United offer to win transfer tussle
Everton and Lille are now in negotiations over the fee and structure of a transfer, likely to set the Toffees back €40m (£33.5m). The Daily Mail also cite Lampard’s interest, and note that the Merseyside outfit are prepared to match the fee Moyes had put on the table already.
Furthermore, Goodison Park chiefs are willing to offer the 20-year-old a more substantial salary than their London Stadium counterparts. Clearly, then, Everton are prepared to pay big for a prospect Hamburg’s director of sport Jonas Boldt feels is ‘destined for greatness’.
Onana featured in a total of 31 Ligue 1 games last season and scored one goal after joining Lille from Hamburg. He also turned out in eight Champions League ties, but only started in two. Yet his efforts led to a senior Belgium debut in June after captaining the U21s squad.
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