Bayern Munich 'target' Everton star to correct £56m wrong from last summer

Bayern Munich are hoping to right a transfer wrong from last summer’s transfer window by targeting Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.

The German club were seemingly minutes away from completing a big deal to sign Fulham’s Joao Palhinha last summer, however, it failed at the last hurdle on deadline day. A £56m fee was initially agreed and Thomas Tuchel looked set to add the Premier League’s leading tackler to his line-up but it wasn’t meant to be.

Onana to Bayern Munich?

Since then, they have failed to win the league title for the first time in a decade and their midfield issues have been a significant reason as to why they have struggled to succeed this season. Aleksandar Pavlovic has been a shining light but the jury is out on Konrad Laimer and the aging Leon Goretzka. Now, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Onana has emerged as a target.

The Belgian has improved upon his first season in England and has registered the highest successful duel rate in Europe’s top five leagues which further rubberstamps his credentials as a ball-winning midfielder. One line from the report states, ‘A well-placed source has told Football Insider that Onana “ticks a lot of boxes” for Bayern as they scour the market for the right solution’. We already know Everton have issues financially and selling Onana could help to ease such troubles, especially if a sizeable fee over £50m arrives.

Comparing Onana and Joao Palhinha

While Palhinha leads the way for tackles in the Premier League with a whopping 150, Onana trails behind on 67. However, when comparing the two players side-by-side, it shows the 22-year-old has more to his game.

According to DataMB, Palhinha dominates in terms of defensive actions but Onana is clearly the better footballer overall. He beats the Portuguese international when it comes to key passes, progressive passes, forward pass percentage, progressive carries and total forward passes. The two will play key roles this summer for their respective countries at the European Championships which will put them in the shop window on the biggest stage.