“Imminent.” “Almost there.” “Inching towards conclusion.” “Nearing the final stages.” These are the phrases being used, in media reports, to describe the Andre Onana transfer situation. Not a done deal yet, but getting there. Not quite “here we go” time but just about there.
The 27-year-old Inter Milan goalkeeper agreed personal terms to join United awhile ago, but the transfer negotiations, like every other piece of business that United does, is moving along at a snail’s pace.
TRANSFER UPDATE: Talks are progressing between Manchester United and Inter Milan over the signing of keeper Andre Onana ? pic.twitter.com/4I4AQuy1QW
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 14, 2023
The Sky Sports News tweet video embedded above has the latest on the situation– and their update conveys the club’s hopes that the Cameroon international will be joining them on their preseason exhibition tour of the United States, which is coming up in the next week or so.
David de Gea is officially gone now, so Onana immediately slots in as the new No. 1. It is possible, still that Dean Henderson stays and returns to his No. 2 position. Although it’s clear that he wants to leave, and join Nottingham Forest permanenty.
In terms of the transfer fee, it is being reported in some outlets of being in the neighborhood of 42 million GBP, or 50m Euro, plus another 5 million in add-ons
Once the fee is agreed upon, then it is just medical examination and paperwork signings that remains to be done. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the deal is “imminent,” with Andre Onana having already had his “goodbye dinner” from Inter last night.
The move from De Gea to Onana is a very interesting one, because of the contrasting styles of play between the two shot stoppers.
Andre Onana, having found success under manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax in the past, is supposedly better at playing the ball than De Gea.
And he is obviously, better suited towards playing in the style that Ten Hag likes to employ.
Andre Onana. Ladies and gentlemen
£47m is going to be an absolute steal pic.twitter.com/FqgqM1NK8Z
— ?????? ?? (@UtdEra_) July 13, 2023
While there is both excitement and caution about this signing, among United’s base, overall, the sentiment seems to be pretty overwhelmingly positive. The majority of United fans are excited that the best goalkeeper of last season’s UEFA Champions League tournament is now on his way over to Old Trafford.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.