Aston Villa in process of finalising agreement with Everton for Amadou Onana

Aston Villa is currently working on completing a deal with Everton to bring Amadou Onana to the team.

A agreement valued at around £50 million is nearing completion, with Aston Villa and the 22-year-old player reaching an agreement on a extended contract.

Manager Unai Emery has set a major goal for Villa as they prepare to enter Champions League competition next season. Onana is excited about the prospect of playing for Emery and his squad.

Everton's stance is that if they sell Onana, they are unlikely to sell Jarrad Branthwaite this summer unless they receive extremely high offers for the center-back.

Everton sees Branthwaite as being just as talented as top central defenders like Harry Maguire, Wesley Fofana, and Josko Gvardiol, who have all been sold for high fees in recent years. Although he just missed out on making England's squad for the European Championship, Everton believes in his potential.

The team has turned down two offers from Manchester United for the 22-year-old player so far this summer. The latest offer was for £45 million with an additional £5 million in potential extras.

Onana has become an important player for Everton, playing in 72 games since joining from Lille for an initial fee of £30 million in the summer of 2022. Last season, he played in 37 matches across all competitions.

According to The Athletic, Everton knows that top-tier midfielders like Onana typically cost between £60-70 million and are looking to sell him for a similar amount.

The French club has the right to receive 20 percent of the money earned from any sale.

Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle United have all been reported as being interested in the past. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also known to admire these teams.

Onana had been representing Belgium in the European Championship this summer, but his team was eliminated by France in the round of 16.

Villa signed two new central midfielders this summer, Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus and Ross Barkley from Luton Town. Douglas Luiz left for Juventus and Tim Iroegbunam went to Everton.

Everton Transfer Sheet: Economic instability makes it difficult to plan for the future.

The blog post was written by Paul Ellis and includes images from the AFP agency.

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David Ornstein started working at The Athletic in October 2019 following a 12-year career as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. As the Football Correspondent, he creates special and authentic stories and interviews, providing distinct perspectives and analysis. He contributes to video, audio, and written content. Keep up with David on Twitter @David_Ornstein.