Manchester United have reportedly decided to meet Inter Milan’s €50m (£43m) asking price to sign goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Are Man United going to sign Andre Onana?
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Onana in recent weeks, with David de Gea’s Old Trafford future currently up in the air.
The Spaniard will officially become a free agent in a matter of days, should his situation remain the same. De Gea actually signed a new Man United contract recently, only for those at Old Trafford to then go back out of a deal, looking to reduce his salary even further.
Meanwhile, there has been speculation the Red Devils were readying a bid for the Cameroon international and were one step away from a transfer, and a further development has now emerged.
Sport Witness relayed an update from Gazzetta dello Sport regarding Onana on Thursday. They claimed that the goalkeeper’s future should become clearer in the coming days following talks with the goalkeeper's agent in Ibiza, with United having a first offer of around €40m rejected.
Inter Milan want €50m plus bonuses for the shot-stopper, a figure Man United have now ‘decided to pay’.
The goalkeeper could go on to become the second signing of the summer in Manchester, after a breakthrough was reached over a deal for Mason Mount.
The England midfielder is on course to leave Chelsea for the Red Devils after a package worth a total of £60m was reached between the two clubs on Thursday afternoon.
What has Ten Hag said about Onana?
Onana, hailed as a "superstar" by members of the media, has made more appearances under Erik ten Hag than any other manager. The 27-year-old turned out on 145 occasions for Ten Hag at Ajax, where the United boss labelled him a “masterful goalkeeper” last year before the pair went on to leave the Dutch giants.
“Obviously he’s not yet back at his level from before the suspension,” he said, “but that can’t be expected from him. He has to work hard to get there again and I’m convinced that he’ll succeed. We’ve all seen that he is a masterful goalkeeper.”
Mark Goldbridge is another fan of the ‘keeper, describing Onana as “box office to watch when he's got the ball under pressure”, and Pep Guardiola has also hailed Onana’s ability on the ball following the Champions League final at the beginning of the month.
Should Onana arrive in Manchester, you'd expect it could result in Dean Henderson’s permanent move to Nottingham Forest gathering pace following a season-long loan at the City Ground. De Gea, therefore, could still be wanted heading into the 2023/24 season to provide competition to Onana, especially with United returning to the Champions League, however, the club legend may have to make do with playing second fiddle going forward.
