Amadou Onana has completed his move to Aston Villa. The midfielder has joined the Midlands club for an undisclosed fee in a deal understood to be in the region of £50m. It comes after he completed his medical following his return from holiday after reaching the knockout stages of the Euros with Belgium.
The 22-year-old had been named in the ‘team of the group stages’ by the esteemed French publication l’Equipe, his growing importance to his national side helping to boost his reputation. His departure had been expected this summer, with the former Lille man vocal about his desire to seek new challenges in the future and Everton open to the prospect of getting a sizable fee for a player who, while immensely talented, was not a mainstay of Sean Dyche’s plans.
That was recognised in the club’s willingness to consider offers in the region of £50m for the midfielder, as reported by the ECHO last month. That figure was a revision of the valuation placed on him previously and appeared to be a pragmatic acknowledgement that such a deal would provide Everton with an opportunity to improve the club’s wider financial position and strengthen elsewhere without weakening Dyche’s preferred first XI.
Onana made his debut at Villa Park under Frank Lampard in August 2022. A late substitute, his first involvement in the Premier League was to give the ball away in the build up to the home side’s second goal. He responded impressively, however, forcing the Lucas Digne own goal that offered a route back into the game for Everton.