Andre Onana in action during the UEFA Champions League match against Valencia (Getty Images)
According to a report by Daily Mail, Chelsea could go head to head against Barcelona in an attempt to sign Ajax shot-stopper Andre Onana in the summer. As far as both clubs are concerned, they would do well to bolster their respective goalkeeping departments.
On one end, Barcelona have no one to challenge or provide back-up for Marc-Andre Ter Stegen whereas at Chelsea, Kepa Arrizabalaga has seen his chances limited under Frank Lampard.
That has opened the door for Willy Caballero to make the spot between the sticks his own for the time being at least. However, that is not a viable long-term solution and the Blues need to find someone to replace Kepa. After all, Kepa has not lived up to his price tag and has made a couple of glaring mistakes in the ongoing season so far.
A recent report by Evening Standard has also claimed that Lampard is not under any pressure from the Chelsea board to include the young stopper in his first-team plans.
It remains to be seen if the club keep or sell Kepa but regardless, the Londoners need a reliable new goalkeeper to achieve their targets next season. And to that end, a move for the promising Onana does make sense.
In the ongoing campaign so far, Onana has conceded an average of just 0.67 goals per 90 minutes. He has also maintained 8 clean sheets in the process. Considering Kepa’s lack of impact, Chelsea would be wise to look for a player like Onana, who is nearly in the same age bracket as the former La Liga ace.
Daily Mail further claims that Onana would command a fee in the region of £35m, meaning it remains to be seen if Chelsea are willing to part with that sum hardly a few years after going all out to sign Kepa.
Interestingly enough, Onana emerged through Barcelona’s youth academy and yet, he turned down the chance to join the Catalan giants permanently last summer (h/t Daily Mail). Thus, Chelsea should attempt to capitalize on the situation and lure him to Stamford Bridge in the upcoming transfer window.
