Arsenal will reportedly have to fork out at least £60m if they wish to sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana in January.
The 22-year-old moved to Goodison Park from Lille in June 2022 for a reported £33m and has since become an integral first-team player for the Toffees under manager Sean Dyche.
Onana has made a total of 56 appearances for Everton across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and three assists, with the box-to-box midfielder featuring 21 times so far this season.
The Belgium international does not see his Everton contract expire until June 2027, but he has been tipped to make a big-money move to a club competing in European competition.
Manchester United are allegedly keeping a close eye on Onana's future amid suggestions that Everton could be forced to sell a few of their first-team stars to balance their books and avoid breaching FFP rules.
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Meanwhile, Arsenal are said to hold a firm interest in Onana, with a recent report claiming that the Gunners have approached Everton to discuss a possible January deal for the midfielder.
However, Football Insider reports that the Toffees have slapped a £60m asking price on Onana and have no interest in parting ways with the Belgian this month.
Onana is viewed as a crucial member of the first-team squad by Dyche, who finds his side embroiled in a relegation dogfight following the club's 10-point deduction by the Premier League in November.
Everton's record sale currently stands at the £75m that they recouped from the deal that saw striker Romelu Lukaku move to Manchester United in 2017.
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It remains to be seen whether Arsenal are prepared to spend big this month after forking out in excess of £200m on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber last summer.
Onana is believed to have been identified by the Gunners as a possible midfield target amid uncertainty over the long-term futures of Mohamed Elneny – who is out of contract in June – Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Emile Smith Rowe.
The Toffees midfielder is not the only player believed to be on Arsenal's radar, as the likes of Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi have been linked with a potential switch to the Emirates Stadium, while Brentford's Ivan Toney is allegedly one of the club's primary striker targets.
Speculation over Onana's future comes at a time when Everton are reportedly looking to hijack Sevilla's pursuit of Man United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.
Sevilla are allegedly in discussions with the Red Devils over signing the 20-year-old on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, but the Toffees are keen to lure the Tunisian to Goodison Park for the remainder of this season.
Oliver Thomas
