It is no secret that the top priority for FC Barcelona heading into the summer window is to sign a new pivot midfielder.
With the Oriol Romeu experiment not yielding the desired results, the Catalans understand the need for a top defensive midfielder and have several names on their agenda.
At the top of that list is Everton midfield enforcer Amadou Onana, who generates consensus within the Barcelona offices.
However, the Toffees are demanding €60 million for his services, putting him out of reach for Barcelona.
If Everton get relegated from the Premier League, Onana’s price would drop to €40 million, but that too would be tricky for the Blaugrana.
As such, the possibility of offering a player as part of the deal to lower the price is being considered, reports SPORT’s Toni Juanmarti.
Four players that could appeal to Everton
The report states that Everton’s primary aim would be to get full cash if they were to sell Onana, but Barcelona will try to offer players as part of the deal to bring the price down.
And four Barcelona players – Sergino Dest, Clement Lenglet, Ansu Fati, and Fermin Lopez – appeal to them as possible makeweights for their Belgian midfielder.
Dest, Lenglet, and Fati are currently away on loan from Barcelona and will most likely be sold permanently in the summer. As such, utilising them in an exchange deal to sign a target makes sense for Barcelona.
With Jarrad Branthwaite likely to be sold by Everton, a move for Lenglet could appeal to them while the Frenchman himself might look at it favourably.
As for Ansu, there appears to be no way back for him at Barcelona and another loan or permanent exit awaits in the summer. Having gained experience in the Premier League this season, he may be open to considering a return next year.
Regarding Fermin, though, there is simply no chance of him accepting a move to Everton especially now that he is growing in stature at Barcelona.
