Chelsea have been keeping tabs on Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana and now the player will officially be put up for sale by the Eredivisie side.
Ajax have always been ready to sell off even their most talented players for the right transfer price and as per some reports, the Dutch outfit have valued Andre Onana at around £30 million.
But owing to the current financial situation Chelsea were hoping the Amsterdam side would be willing to lower their asking price for the shot-stopper which would enormously help Lampard’s quest to sign a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Ajax’s chief executive Edwin van der Sar has, however, made it clear that his club intends to provide no discount in the transfer market and clubs which are willing to do business with them should be ready to splash out the original asking rates for the necessary players.
“Last year, we made verbal agreements with Onana, Tagliafico and Van de Beek to stay another season, and then we look to help each other and find the next step in their careers. Nothing has changed,” Van der Sar told Reuters.
“There won’t be a 50 per cent discount. The clubs can forget about that. In January last year, people said we were going to lose seven or eight players but we lost only two key members.
“The big clubs such as Bayern Munich have said the benchmark fee will go down in the next few transfer windows. But it’s easier for them to say because they are the buyers.
“Of course, the 150m-200m euros transfers are gone. But I think there is still a lot of value for players who come from Ajax: Well educated, experienced in winning and playing European football.”
Should Chelsea try and sign Andre Onana?
Even without the discount, Andre Onana will be a great buy for £30 odd million but before Chelsea can make a move for him, Lampard will have to ensure he can sell off his current No 1, Kepa Arrizabalaga in the summer.
The Spaniard cost a lot of money when the London outfit brought him to England a couple of years ago but his performances have been really poor this season which is a big reason why the Blues could struggle to find a suitable buyer for him.
With a current salary of £150,000 per week, not a lot of clubs are inclined to sign Kepa right now and this is perhaps the biggest hurdle for Lampard in trying to bring in Onana from Ajax.
Surely, the Chelsea boss will not have the luxury to use someone like Kepa as second choice keeper for the whole fo the 2020-21 season and neither will Andre Onana wish to join a club where he has to play second fiddle.
