Ajax face a summer of battling to retain the services of keeper Andre Onana as speculation continues to circle regards the future of the Sons of Gods No.1.
Cameroon ace Onana, who is aged 23, has already been linked with a switch from the Amsterdam giants to the Premier League and a number of top-flight clubs are said to keeping an eye on his situation.
He is said to have made noises that he would welcome a move after five years with the club but, of course, Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag will be keen to keep his excellent custodian. As will his army of supporters.
What hasn’t helped Ten Hag’s efforts to do that is team-mate Hakim Ziyech apparently telling anyone who will listen (and both London sides Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be listening) that perhaps they should recruit the keeper. Ziyech, who is set to switch to Chelsea this summer after agreeing a deal with a transfer fee said to be in the region of £37million, will make a case for his friend to join him at the Blues when he arrives at Stamford Bridge.
When Ziyech agreed to move to play for Frank Lampard’s side, Onana took to social media channel Twitter to give him a touching send-off:
“Teammate, friend, brother, I’d like to wish you the best for this next chapter. You and I have come from the bottom and we both know nobody gives you anything for free. We have been teammates for four seasons where we’ve lived moments that I’d never forget.
“We have laughed, cried, worked really hard and enjoyed so many experiences together and I wouldn’t change these for the world. It’s been an absolute pleasure my friend, always with a smile and always willing to help your teammates. We still have a few months to achieve big things.”
Onana, who is contracted until 2022 at Ajax, has also been the subject of some conjecture regards a move to Spanish giants Barcelona. He hit the headlines recently when he revealed that an Italian side was interested in signing him three years ago after he delivered a dazzling display with a string of super saves in the Europa League final against Manchester United. But the move didn’t happen and Onana claimed that was down to his colour.
He didn’t reveal which Serie A side allegedly made the call based on him being black but did say:
“The talks were going well until my agent received a call from the interested club’s CEO saying, ‘We believe that Onana is a great goalkeeper, but unfortunately, we cannot sign him. A black goalkeeper would bring us a lot of problems in front of our fans.”
So, will Onana end up at Chelsea, Tottenham or Barcelona?