Reported Tottenham Hotspur target Andre Onana is ready to take the ‘next step’ in his career though Ajax’s director of football Marc Overmars is still hopeful of keeping the goalkeeper in Amsterdam for another year, speaking to AjaxTV.
While Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt graduated with flying colours from one of Europe’s most feted finishing schools after last year’s march to the Champions League semi-finals, another member of Erik Ten Hag’s thrilling young squad appeared to commit himself to life at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
But just because Onana signed a new contract in the summer of 2019, do not make the mistake in assuming that the ex-Barcelona youngster is set to stay in the Dutch capital for years to come.
As Ten Hag himself told Showtime recently, Onana put pen to paper with an agreement in place that he would be allowed to leave if one of the game’s biggest clubs showed an interest in him 12 months later.
And with The Mirror (14 April, page 49) reporting that the Cameroon international has been lined up by Spurs to replace World Cup winner Hugo Lloris, the £25 million shot-stopper might have played his final game in Ajax colours.
“He meets our standards: he has won prizes, has gotten better and is ready for the next step,” says Arsenal legend Overmars.
“But I really can’t rule out that he will stay another year.”
Obviously, Tottenham and the Premier League would represent a viable step forward for a goalkeeper who’s superb reflexes and ball-playing style were honed in Barca’s famed La Masia academy.
But with Lloris not expected to leave north London any time soon, would Onana leave Ajax for a club where he could find himself battling for a first-team place?
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