Barcelona 'to rival Manchester United for Everton star'

Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing one of Everton's star men during the summer transfer window.

The Catalan giants have just moved to resolve their issues in the dugout, replacing Xavi with former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick.

Part of the reason why Xavi was removed from his position was due to feeling that it was not realistic for Barcelona to challenge Real Madrid for the La Liga title in the short term.

As well as possessing an increasingly youthful squad at Camp Nou, Barcelona must deal with their well-documented financial issues.

Despite those factors, Flick has signed a two-year contract to move to the Spanish giants, with sporting director Deco now expected to work with the 59-year-old to determine a transfer strategy.

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Everton player on Barcelona's radar

If Barcelona are to make any big-money additions during the next transfer window, they must first make at least one major sale, realistically more.

Should that materialise, Football Insider alleges they may decide to step up their interest in Amadou Onana, who they have placed on their shortlist.

The report adds that the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also ready to rival Barcelona and long-term suitors Manchester United.

Senior correspondent Pete O'Rourke said on the Inside Track Podcast that Everton are in a position where they will be forced to cash in on the Belgium international due to their own financial issues

The Toffees are said to be eager to make a substantial profit on a player who they signed for £33m in 2022 in order to help comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules.

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Has Onana enhanced his reputation at Everton?

Onana's move to Goodison Park largely came about after one impressive campaign for Lille in 2021-22, where he made 42 appearances.

He has since contributed just four goals and three assists from his 72 outings for the Merseyside outfit, with 30 Premier League appearances coming in 2023-24.

That said, for much of Everton's strong run of results during the run-in, Onana did not start. After the 2-0 win over Burnley on December 16, Onana did not start another Everton victory until the 1-0 success over Sheffield United on May 11.

Nevertheless, with Onana retaining his place in the provisional Belgium squad for Euro 2024, there may be clubs who are prepared to gamble with offers in the region of £50m.