£50m Arsenal target agrees move to Aston Villa, he’s ‘enthusiastic’ about playing for Unai Emery

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One of Arsenal’s reported midfield targets will no longer be an option this summer, as there is now agreement over a surprise move to Aston Villa.

Mikel Arteta is looking to add a defensive midfielder to his squad to help support Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, and one of several names linked was Everton star Amadou Onana.

Onana, who recently featured for Belgium at Euro 2024, was a strong performer for Everton, with his sheer physicality proving useful in midfield, and the 22-year-old may have been seen as a potential replacement for Thomas Partey.

Reports indicated that Arsenal had made contact over Onana, but all signs pointed towards Arteta wanting a different profile in midfield, and he has now agreed a move elsewhere.

Arsenal target Amadou Onana agrees move to Aston Villa

Journalist David Ornstein has now revealed that Onana has agreed a move to Aston Villa, where he will work with former Arsenal manager Unai Emery.

“A deal worth in the region of £50million is close, while personal terms have been agreed between Villa and the 22-year-old on a long-term contract,” he reported in The Athletic.

“Onana is known to be enthusiastic about playing for the Spaniard and his team.

“Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle have previously been credited with an interest, while Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also known admirers.”

Were Arsenal properly interested in Amadou Onana?

Links between Arsenal and Onana came as a result of their interest in a new midfielder, and his availability on the market given Everton’s financial issues.

However, the ideal midfield signing for Arsenal this summer would be a different profile to Onana. What he brings in size, physicality and strength in driving the ball forward, he has lacked in his passing ability compared to Partey and Jorginho.

Arsenal have been linked with Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Joao Neves, as a player who can dictate at the base of midfield, allowing Rice to push forward, would be a better addition, and at £50m, Onana was unlikely to be of great interest to Arteta.