Report: Barcelona now even more keen to sign £33m Arsenal target after seeing how he dealt with Kylian Mbappe

07/02/2024 11:45 AM

Barcelona are now even more determined to beat Arsenal to a transfer target after seeing how he dealt with Kylian Mbappe on Monday.

The Real Madrid No.9 was in action as France took on Belgium in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 on Monday afternoon, where an own goal from Jan Vertonghen sent Les Blues into the quarter-final.

Despite ending up on the winning side, Kylian Mbappe struggled, failing to have a shot on target or complete a key pass – as shown by SofaScore – as Amadou Onana made life tough for the Frenchman.

Now – according to Mundo Deportivo – the Belgian’s performance could see Barcelona beat Arsenal to his signature…

Barcelona now even more keen to sign Arsenal target Amadou Onana

The Spanish news outlet believe Barcelona were blown away by the Everton No.8’s performance against France.

Mundo Deportivo explain how Onana put on a clinic of how to defend up against Mbappe, managing to go the entire 90 minutes without being dribbled past once, while also recording a 92% pass success rate.

It has led Barcelona to become even bigger fans of the 22-year-old, with another Spanish news outlet in SPORT claiming that Hansi Flick’s side are now ready to make a move to secure his signature ahead of Arsenal.

It comes after Charles Watts told Caught Offside that Arsenal are long term admirers of Onana – who Everton signed from Lille for £33m in August 2022 – and would also like to buy him this summer.

Mikel Arteta could win the Premier League by landing the Belgian

In our view, Arsenal could genuinely win the Premier League with a midfield duo of Declan Rice and Onana.

Physically, the pair are a match for anybody, with the England international standing at 6ft 1in – while also possessing an impressive engine and a decent turn of pace.

In regards to Onana, the man from Dakar towers over most of his peers at 6ft 5in – while he is also very quick across the ground.

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The engine room in midfield can often be where titles are won and lost, so if Arsenal can create this formidable partnership, anything is possible in the 2024/25 campaign.