Manchester United pulled out of talks to sign goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after Everton demanded £70m for the England international, according to the Daily Star.
The daily tabloid newspaper claims Pickford was top of United’s transfer list to replace long-serving shot-stopper David de Gea, but the huge fee forced the club to switch attention to second-choice Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
As per the report, the Red Devils were hoping to sign Pickford for just £45m due to Everton’s financial woes, and were left shocked by the Toffees excessive demands for the 29-year-old.
Pickford was once again a key player for Everton last season and played a vital role in keeping them up. He managed to keep a clean sheet in the Merseysiders’ 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the final league game to avoid relegation.
The England shot-stopper made 38 appearances across all competitions and kept eight clean sheets in the process. Pickford has enormous experience at both club and country and would have been an excellent addition to Erik ten Hag’s side.
Alternative target
According to the Daily Star, Manchester United were forced to pull out of talks to sign Pickford due to Everton’s £70m valuation and they turned their attention to signing Andre Onana instead.
Italian reporter Alfredo Pedulla claims that United are close to completing a deal for the Cameroon international. Man Utd will pay around £41m to £43m (€48m to €50m) as an initial fee with potential add-ons which could take the overall fee to £47m (€55m).
United have already signed Mason Mount from Chelsea and if everything goes through, Onana would be the club’s second summer signing.
The 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the world after leading Inter Milan to the finals of last season’s Champions League. He kept eight clean sheets across the competition as he made a total of 41 appearances for the 3rd-placed Nerazzurri.
Read more: Man Utd to battle Man City over deal to sign £26m international star – report
