Barcelona behind Chelsea in race for €70 million-rated Premier League midfielder

With FC Barcelona scouring the market for a new defensive midfielder heading into the summer transfer window, Everton star Amadou Onan has been linked heavily with a move.

The 22-year-old Belgian international generates consensus within the Catalan club and there have been initial approaches made to study the possibility of a move for the young midfield enforcer.

However, even though the midfielder appears open to a move, early discussions with Everton did not go down well as the Toffees are reluctant to let Onana leave for a low price despite Barça offering players in exchange.

Everton ready to sell for €70 million

Now, a fresh update from SPORT has come forth with the latest on the situation surrounding Onana and Everton.

As per the report, Everton are now ready to sell Onana due to their financial problems, but have set an asking price of €70 million for their midfield enforcer.

Given Barcelona’s financial situation, paying such an amount would be out of the question for the current La Liga champions.

Barcelona could miss out on Onana. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

With the approach to offer players in exchange not going well, Barça are exploring other innovative options to sign him at a lower price.

Chelsea leading Barcelona

However, Chelsea have entered the race and are prepared to put the cash on the table to take Onana from Everton, which will come as a blow for the Blaugrana.

It is believed that the Blues have already made their initial offer to sign Onana from Everton, although it is unclear whether their proposal matches the Toffees’ €70 million asking price.

Either way, Barcelona are not in a position to fight on the same level as Chelsea when it comes down to shelling out large sums to sign players.

As such, there is a strong possibility that the La Liga behemoths might miss out on the capture of the Belgian international.