Ajax director admits Arsenal have not made contact over Andre Onana deal
By Tom Gott
Ajax director of football Marc Overmars has revealed he has had no contact with Arsenal over a possible transfer for goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Gunners were heavily linked with Onana during the summer, when it was revealed that Mikel Arteta is keen for a shake-up in between the posts, but those links have since faded as Arsenal have turned to Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale instead.
With Ramsdale likely to cost in excess of £30m, plenty of fans have urged Arsenal to reignite that interest in Onana, who is valued at closer to £7m, but Overmans told Voetbal International there has been no contact between the two sides just yet.
“Arsenal were mentioned but I haven’t had any contact with them," he said. "Another club was interested but they already got another goalie."
Importantly, that 'other club' is not Lyon. The French side had been discussing a deal with Ajax a few weeks back, but despite voicing their intention to sign Onana, they have gone AWOL from the negotiating table, leaving the door open for Arsenal if they wish.
"I’m not sure if we’ll get to a deal with Lyon," Overmars said. “There hasn’t been contact for a week."
The former Arsenal star went on to admit his surprise that there has been so little interest in Onana, who remains suspended from all football activity until November following a positive drug test in February.
"Of course, in the complex case of Onana, it is quite difficult to determine the correct value," he admitted. "I understand that his value is low.
"For some clubs, it is an opportunity to sign this goalkeeper, because if he had a longer contract and was not suspended, he would be worth €30m. 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 much more competition. Do you want that?
"He is a top five goalkeeper in Europe. If you put down all the goalkeepers, he will be in fifth or sixth place. I get why teams would try to sign him because once he signs on, his value will skyrocket as he is a very good 25-year-old goalkeeper. That's the situation we're in."