Everton midfielder Amadou Onana reportedly 'refuses' to join Chelsea amid reports of the latter's interest in him.

The Lowdown: Chelsea interest

It was reported by The Times journalist Tom Roddy this morning that Chelsea have 'stepped up their interest' in signing Onana, as a 'possible alternative' to Benfica's Enzo Fernandez and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

Anthony Gordon has also been strongly linked with a £40m move away from Everton to Newcastle United, as the Goodison Park outfit have struggled with finances over the last year.

The Latest: Onana 'refuses' Chelsea

Taking to Twitter shortly after the initial story was shared, Belgian football journalist Sacha Tavolieri said that Onana 'refuses' to join Chelsea, as he 'wants to stay' in Merseyside and focus on the rest of the season:

"Amadou #Onana refuses #ChelseaFC ! While the Blues have tried to convince #DiablesRouges , the person wants to stay at #EvertonFC , preferring to focus on the rest of his season. #CFC will he come back to the charge?"

The Verdict: Relief

It will certainly come as a relief to Toffees supporters that Onana looks set to stay and not join Chelsea, considering that the Blues have already been very busy in the window so far.

Despite Everton's struggles in the Premier League this season, the 21-year-old has been one of their standout performers despite only arriving in the summer, ranking highly among his team-mates for average aerial duels won, in addition to average tackles, interceptions, shots, dribbles and pass success per match (WhoScored).

With Gordon missing training again in order to try and force through a move to Newcastle, the Blues will not want another one of their star names leaving right at the end of the window, and so they will be pleased that Onana has chosen to stay at the club and focus on trying to help keep them up.