Amadou Onana's sister, who is also his agent, has been detailing the reason behind his transfer from Everton to Aston Villa
Amadou Onana’s sister has revealed the real reason the midfielder left Everton for Aston Villa.
The Belgium international was snapped up by the Blues from Lille for £33.5million in August 2022 but after 72 appearances and four goals, he moved to Unai Emery’s side for £50million on July 22, 2024, in what was deemed by Goodison Park chiefs as the most palatable sale of their valuable assets as they looked to ensure avoiding another PSR breach after suffering an unprecedented brace of separate points deductions in the 2023/24 season.
Everton News cites Onana’s sister Melissa – who is also his agent – as detailing his Merseyside exit with journalist Sacha Tavolieri. She said: “Aston Villa’s sporting project was crystal clear. It was a project where Amadou could continue to develop. We spoke with the sporting director, and the salary was also attractive, let’s not kid ourselves.
“The Euros were coming up, Amadou was performing well, and we finalised the deal. Then, Manchester United entered the picture. But I had already given my word to Aston Villa.
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“We knew very well that Manchester would be able to offer better financial terms, but we had already given our word to Aston Villa, and the project was a good fit. The style of football played, the club’s ambition: Amadou felt right at home there.”
As reported at the time, the ECHO understands that Manchester United had maintained a longstanding interest in Onana while he was at Everton. The 24-year-old has made 43 appearances and scored six goals for Aston Villa, netting his first of the season in their 4-0 romp against Bournemouth on Sunday, a display that earned him a place alongside Blues centre-back Michael Keane in Troy Deeney’s Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Football.