A club have reportedly made their first move to sign an "outstanding" Everton player, with the Blues demanding more than £40m for his services.
Everton transfer news
The Blues are in such a better place than they were earlier in the season, excelling under Sean Dyche and reacting superbly to their 10-point deduction in the Premier League. Four straight wins in the league without conceding a goal is a testament to how well Everton are doing, and while their midweek EFL Cup exit at the hands of Fulham was disappointing, the positives are clearly outweighing the negatives at the moment.
Dyche is getting a huge amount out of his current squad, but the Toffees boss surely wouldn't be against the idea of bringing in new signings once the January transfer window arrives.
A permanent move for Jack Harrison has been mooted recently, with the Englishman impressing on loan from Leeds United, while Iliman Ndiaye has also been linked with a move to Everton, even though he only joined Marseille during the summer.
However, there is always the threat that some of the Blues' most influential players could be wanted by other clubs – and one such rumour has recently emerged.
Everton dealt Amadou Onana blow
According to Marca [via Sport Witness], Barcelona are interested in signing Everton midfielder Amadou Onana and have "already had some contacts" with him over a move to Camp Nou.
The Blues won't allow the Belgian to leave on the cheap, however, and will demand at least €50m (£43.3m) for his signature should Barca want to get a deal over the line. The La Liga giants see that as a "considerable figure" to have to pay.
On the plus side, the report does state that "there is no option" for Onana to move to Spain in January, so it looks as though a summer transfer is more likely.
Losing Onana would be a massive blow for Everton, with the 22-year-old such a dominant physical presence in the midfield, but also a strong technical footballer.
Former England international Darren Bent has labelled him as "outstanding" in the past, and he has played a big part in the Blues' good form of late.
Onana has started 12 games in the Premier League so far this season, winning an average of 2.8 aerial duels per match and 2.5 tackles per outing. There is still so much to come from him in his career given his age, so to suddenly see him head off to pastures new would be a setback.
Appearances
13
Goals
1
Aerial duels wins per game
2.8
Tackles per game
2.5
Pass completion rate
85.4%
That being said, the lure of moving to Barca can be great for many footballers, even though they arguably don't have the same pull that they may have had in previous years, so it would be hard to begrudge him moving there at the end of the season.
One thing's for sure, Everton simply have to remain in the Premier League if they want to keep hold of the Belgium international, but that does look likely, given their current form.