Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio feels it would be hard for Inter Milan to “say no” to a revised offer from Chelsea for Andre Onana in the region of £42-51million.
Mauricio Pochettino will have a lot to do to ensure his Blues side are more competitive than they were last season. A 12th-placed finish was well below the expected standard for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
It would be unsurprising if there were a lot of ins and outs this summer as the manager attempts to construct a winning side. One position which Pochettino looks keen to improve upon is that of the goalkeeper.
Indeed, it’s unclear what the future holds for Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga. However, the Blues reportedly had a £34million bid for Inter goalkeeper Onana turned down recently.
They could force Inter’s hand, if Di Marzio is right in his view that the Serie A side might be forced to sell up a revised offer was lodged.
“If a big offer of €50-60 million arrives, it would clearly be hard for them to say no,” Di Marzio told Il Giornale, quoted by Sempre Inter.
That would translate to an offer between £42-51million. That’s not a massive increase on what the Blues are reported to have initially offered, so it wouldn’t be a shock if they were to heed the advice and up their offer slightly.
It makes sense that Inter’s hand might be forced for such a fee, too. Indeed, receiving a sum in that region would mean Onana becomes very lucrative for them, given he didn’t cost a penny when he joined from Ajax.
If one or both of Mendy and Kepa are to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, the deal for Onana could pay for itself. That would be a massive bonus for Chelsea, given how impactful he has been for Inter this term.
He kept 19 clean sheets in all competitions over the course of the campaign. That included eight in 13 Champions League games on en route to the final.
As such, Chelsea would be getting a very good goalkeeper if they were able to encourage Inter to sell the star this summer.
