Ajax manager Marc Overmars has revealed that he has not had any contact with Arsenal due to a possible transfer to goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Gunners were strongly linked with Onana during the summer, when it was revealed that Mikel Arteta is keen to shake up the posts, but these links have since faded when Arsenal have instead turned to Sheffield United’s Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal focus on Ramsdale / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
As Ramsdale is likely to cost more than £ 30m, many fans have called on Arsenal to resume interest in Onana, valued at close to £ 7m, but Overmans told Voetbal International that there has been no contact between the two sides yet.
“Arsenal were mentioned but I have not had any contact with them,” he said. “Another club was interested but they already got a new goalkeeper.”
It is important that the “other club” is not Lyon. The French side had discussed an agreement with Ajax a few weeks ago, but despite expressing their intention to sign Onana, they have left AWOL from the negotiating table and left the door open for Arsenal if they want to.
“I’m not sure if we will reach an agreement with Lyon,” said Overmars. “There has been no contact in a week.”
The former Arsenal star continued to admit his surprise that there has been so little interest in Onana, who remains suspended from all football activity until November after a positive drug test in February.
“Of course, in the complex case of Onana, it is quite difficult to determine the right value,” he acknowledged. “I understand that his value is low.
Overmars expected more interest in Onana / BSR Agency / Getty Images
“For some clubs it is an opportunity to get this goalkeeper, because if he had a longer contract and was not suspended he would be worth 30 million euros. If it was me I would have acted quickly. You can wait six months to sign him on a free transfer, but then there are other clubs and you have a lot more competition.Do you want it?
“He is the top five goalkeeper in Europe. If you put down all the goalkeepers, he will be in fifth or sixth place. I understand why teams would try to sign him because once he logs in, his value will skyrocket because he is a “very good 25-year-old goalkeeper. That’s the situation we are in.”
