Barcelona ‘hoping Everton go down’ as they aim to beat Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal to ‘number one target’

Barcelona sporting director Deco is reportedly ‘hoping Everton are relegated’ so the Catalans can sign Amadou Onana on a cut-price deal. 

The Toffees currently find themselves 18th in the table after being controversially deducted 10 points for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Everton are appealing that decision and will receive a verdict in the next two weeks, but have also been charged with a second breach, along with Nottingham Forest.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, if Everton are relegated, they will likely lose many of their key players as they won’t be able to afford their wages.

Onana is one of the Merseyside club’s most sought-after stars, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in him.

The Belgian midfielder has previously admitted that he has aspirations to play for one of Europe’s biggest clubs one day.

Now, it seems that Barcelona are ready to throw their hat into the ring for Onana. Although, they may find it difficult to afford his price tag due to their ongoing financial issues.

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Barcelona identify Onana as their ‘number one target’

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona sporting director Deco has identified Onana as his ‘number one target’ for the summer.

It’s claimed that the Catalans have two transfer plans: the first is to ‘take responsibility away from young players in their squad,’ and the second is to ‘add muscle in the defence and midfield,’ which is where Onana fits in.

“The team didn’t show, in many games, a physical and athletic capacity with which it could overcome its opponents,” Deco recently told Luz.

Onana is an imposing figure on the pitch standing at 6ft4. He is surprisingly quick, too, and reads the game well as a defensive midfielder.

At the age of 22, he is only expected to improve, so it’s no surprise to see some of Europe’s biggest clubs chasing him.

Barcelona, however, can only afford to spend €40m (approx. £34.1m) on Onana in the summer – which falls well below Everton’s asking price of around £70m.

Therefore, Deco is hoping that Everton are relegated and therefore are forced into accepting a cut-price bid.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd’s interest in Onana is unlikely to go away, though, so Barca will still have to compete with those clubs for Onana even if Everton do go down.

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