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Manchester United may be edging closer to their first signing of the summer, with an agreement for Andre Onana possible as early as this week.
That is according to this morning’s edition of Gazetta dello Sport, who claim that Inter Milan’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, is due to meet with both the Cameeronian’s entourage and United’s club chiefs to wrap up a deal.
Man United’s director of football operations, David Harrison is already said to have met Ausilio yesterday, with both sides “serene” over the prospect of a deal being struck. The Nerazzuri would like to resolve the situation within the week. Inter are in need of funds immediately in order to avoid further sanctions from UEFA, having been fined €4m last summer for breaches of FFP.
Naturally, the Serie A giants would also want plenty of time to secure a replacement, having been beaten to the punch by Tottenham Hotspur for Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian was thought to have been Simeone Inzaghi’s first choice Onana replacement, and work must begin again to identify a new recruit.
As for Manchester United, a new goalkeeper has shot straight to the top of Erik ten Hag’s list of priorities.
David de Gea’s future is looking less and less likely to play out at Old Trafford, particularly given yesterday’s revelation that The Red Devils withdrew a contract offer that had been accepted by the Spaniard. Erik ten Hag will be back on the training pitch from the first week of July, and Onana’s presence at United’s training camp would be welcomed, especially if De Gea ends up on his way.
The two share a history, having achieved success together at Ajax, and there are few goalkeepers on the planet as comfortable in possession as Onana. That makes the Inter star the outstanding candidate to help Ten Hag instil a more progressive style of football at United.
His performance against Manchester City in the Champions League final left Pep Guardiola’s men unable to press Inter Milan’s backline in an effective manner, which may well have come as a surprise to many onlookers.
But in truth, that is exactly the benefit that a player like Onana gives his team, and his presence and technical ability would no doubt help to significantly improve upon one of United’s greatest areas of weakness – their inability to play out from the back when faced with an organised high press.
According to GDS, Man United are already well aware of what will be needed to wrap up the deal. A basic sum of €50m, with a few additional performance-related bonuses, is Inter’s ask. Should Harrison match those terms by Friday, the signing of Andre Onana would be “almost immediate.”
Given the quality of Onana, that price tag appears to be more than reasonable – even when considering that the Cameroonian international was available on a free transfer twelve months ago.
Andre Onana has a wealth of European experience, is young for a goalkeeper at 27 years of age, and would provide a remarkable betterment upon some of the shortcomings that have plagued the team for years.
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