Manchester United’s hopes of acquiring talented Toffees defender Jarrad Branthwaite are severely hampered by the impending £50 million purchase of Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana by Aston Villa from Everton.

Onana, 22, was predicted by Mail Sport six weeks ago to depart this summer. It now seems more likely than ever as Champions League-bound Villa has accepted a proposal for the midfielder and agreed to personal terms with him, albeit no deal has been finalised.

Villa has always had a fascination with Onana. While they were interested, other teams like Manchester United and Arsenal never intensified their efforts.In May, the Gunners reached out regarding a deal, but they never made an offer.

With Onana’s departure, Everton has a stronger argument to hold onto the highly sought-after defender Branthwaite.

The 22-year-old is valued between £70 million and £80 million by the Toffees, who have rejected two bids from Manchester United to sign him. The most recent offer was £45 million.

Amadou Onana, a player from Belgium, is supposedly close to joining Aston Villa.
After breaking these regulations twice in the past year, Everton will be in a better financial situation going forward because to the money they will receive from the sale of Onana. Lille, Onana’s previous team, is eligible for a sell-on clause.

Following their forced sell of Douglas Luiz to Juventus this summer, Onana will be Villa’s third midfield addition.

Along with Lewis Dobbin—another former Everton player—Unai Emery’s team has also added Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus and Ross Barkley from Luton.

Everton and Tottenham are negotiating a revised deal for Dele Alli in the meantime. The former England player signed a contract with the Toffees in 2022, and after he made 20 appearances for the team, Everton was required to pay Spurs £10 million.

Due to many injuries, the 28-year-old missed the entire previous season and only made 13 appearances for the Goodison Park team.

But Alli’s manager at Everton, Sean Dyche, is a huge fan of his, and if a new contract can be worked out, they are offering to help him rebuild his career.

It’s rumoured that Onana is the “key target” that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery signed.

It seems unlikely that Jarrad Branthwaite will be moved to Manchester United when Onana moves to Villa.

It seems probable that Erik Ten Hag will need to search elsewhere for a centre defender in the transfer market.

Amadou Onana of Everton is expected to join Aston Villa in a surprise £50 million deal.

With the signing of the highly-regarded Belgian midfielder, Unai Emery’s team is seen to have achieved their “key target.”

According to the Athletic report, Villa and the 22-year-old have reached a personal terms agreement for a long-term contract.

If a bid as high as that of Harry Maguire or Joško Gvardiol is made, Everton’s chances of moving Jarrad Branthwaite to Man United this summer are probably “all but gone.”

Leading European teams like Barcelona and Manchester United have expressed interest in signing Onana.