Agent of Arsenal-linked star confirms he REJECTED January move

The agent of Amadou Onana has confirmed that the midfielder could have left Everton during the January transfer but opted to stay at the club instead.

Arsenal, as well as Chelsea, were linked with a move for the Belgium international, who would have cost over £50 million but neither managed to get a deal over the line.

The Gunners’ spending has been restricted this year as they attempt to remain in line with financial fair play regulations following a heavy spending spree.

Chelsea, too, are going to have to sell before they buy with the club needing to offload £100m worth of talent before June 30.

Onana sticks with Everton

Onana’s agent, sister Melissa, revealed this week that the player had the opportunity to leave Goodison Park but decided to stay put.

Everton have suffered a 10-point deduction for failing to comply with financial regulations and have appealed the penalty.

Should they suffer another FFP blow, they would be staring down the barrel of relegation to the Championship, meaning all their top-earning stars would be at risk of moving on.

Onana, 22, has been a big hit on Merseyside since moving from Lille in August 2022 for a fee of around £33m.

He is seen as one of the Toffees’ most bankable assets and could be destined to transfer out of the club during the next transfer period.

“We could have left this winter,” Melissa Onana said on the Noya Dur YouTube show. “But we once again sat down and asked the question whether it’s the right time, if the player is ready. My job is to put opportunities on the table.

“In the end, he’s the one who makes the choice because it’s his life and his career. I put the opportunities on the table and he said: ‘No, I want to stay at Everton and I want to continue to fight’.”

“I’m lucky that my brother is intelligent,” she continued. “Which isn’t the case for all players.

“So I give him the pros and the cons of a situation that’s on the table. We talk about it, he asks me my opinion, and I say: ‘This is what I think’. Then, he makes his choice.

“Personally, I’m also not a fan of transfers during the winter. Often, it’s to put a stop to a bad situation. It’s clubs that are trying to turn a situation around after the transfers they did in the summer. They are clubs that are bleeding, trying to find a plaster.”