Amadou Onana moved to Aston Villa in a £50million deal and the midfielder's sister and agent has now revealed the reasons behind Man United snub
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 09: Amadou Onana of Aston Villa celebrates after teammate Emiliano Buendia scores his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Bournemouth at Villa Park on November 09, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
(Image: Dan Istitene, Getty Images)
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Amadou Onana's sister has explained the true motivation behind the midfielder's departure from Everton to Aston Villa.
The Belgium international joined the Toffees from Lille for £33.5million in August 2022 but following 72 appearances and four goals, he transferred to Unai Emery's squad for £50million on July 22, 2024, in what was considered by Goodison Park officials as the most acceptable sale of their prized assets as they sought to prevent another PSR violation.
Everton News references Onana's sister Melissa – who also serves as his agent – as explaining his Merseyside departure with journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
According to the Liverpool Echo 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.
"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 previously reported, the ECHO understands that Manchester United had sustained a long-term interest in Onana during his time 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 thrashing of Bournemouth on Sunday.
His performance earned him a spot alongside Blues centre-back Michael Keane in Troy Deeney's Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Football.
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