Serie A giants Inter Milan expect to receive a formal offer from Premier League giants Manchester United in the coming weeks for goalkeeper Andre Onana, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (26 June, page 2).
Onana’s future has been heavily speculated in the past few months, with Premier League giants Man Utd and Chelsea reportedly interested in securing his signature.
United in the market for a new No.1 to replace David de Gea – who has refused to take a significant pay cut, and his long-term future at the club is uncertain. The Spaniard’s contract expires at the end of the month and unless he agrees fresh terms, he will leave as a free agent.
Onana has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag reportedly identified the Cameroonian international as a key target to replace De Gea between the sticks next season. It’s been claimed that United chiefs have already held talks with the players representatives.
According to GDS, Manchester United are now set to formalise their interest with Inter expecting a formal offer worth around £43m plus add-ons to arrive from the Red Devils over the coming days.
Superb signing
Onana would be a terrific signing for Man Utd. Dean Henderson is almost certain to leave the club as he wants to play regularly, something United cannot offer him.
The situation is really getting interesting with De Gea. If he doesn’t agree to a new deal, the club should let him go and a replacement will be needed. Onana is one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in world football, and he would suit Erik ten Hag’s system perfectly.
Last season, we saw De Gea failing to grapple with Ten Hag’s methods of playing from the back, and ended up making costly errors against Sevilla in the Europa League.
Onana is not only comfortable with his distributions but he is equally adept at making quality saves. Furthermore, he is someone who has played under Ten Hag before at Ajax, and the Dutchman knows what to expect from him.
In theory, he shouldn’t take much time to settle down at Old Trafford should he make the move. Ten Hag wanted to keep De Gea, but if he leaves, the club should move quickly to sign Onana.
