Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana will hold out for a switch to Barcelona and snub a move to the Premier League. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are said to be keen on the services of the custodian but he is holding out on a dream transfer to the Catalan giants.
The Nou Camp hierarchy want to provide competition for current keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and see the Sons of the Gods No.1 as ideal. Onana joined Barcelona in 2010, aged 13, after starting out at the Samuel Eto’o Foundation. But he never made the grade at a young age and in 2015 he joined Ajax. Now he would love the chance to return to the club that he considers to be his spiritual home.
But the Spaniards face stiff competition for Onana — who has gained 16 international caps for his national side — with Frank Lampard’s Chelsea leading the chase out of the London clubs thanks to their recent recruitment of Ajax attacker Hakim Ziyech. Cameroon keeper Onana, who is aged 23, is big pals with the Morocco ace and wished him well when he signed for the Blues in a £40million switch in the January transfer window (although he stayed with Ajax and will make his move official in the summer).
But even though Onana would love the chance to play again with Ziyech at Stamford Bridge, he would ultimately prefer a transfer to Barcelona. An Ajax insider explains:
“Onana and Ziyech are close, sure, and playing for Chelsea would be an hour for Andre. Yes, the Premier League is a very attractive place to play but Barca is special. He was there as a kid and fell in love with them then. To make the move back there would be ever so special for him.
“Tottenham is less attractive but they are a Premier League side in London so there is a chance, but a small one. Ajax have all but given up on losing Andre in the summer even though he is on contract with the club until 2022. But they can demand around £50million for him and with that Ajax can do a lot.”
Tellingly, Onana revealed that Barca had been in touch regards the potential of a movie last summer. Speaking last October, he said:
“Barca came back for me this summer. It’s my home, I was part of that club. They always want one of their own to re-sign. But it was not the right time to return. Maybe I’ll never get another chance! But it was not a good time to do it this summer.”
The evidence would suggest that Onana would jump at the chance to a return to the Nou Camp aces. This may well happen come next summer. Watch this space.