According to a report in Calciomercato.it, Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr has made an enquiry about Inter Milan keeper Andre Onana.
Manchester United are looking for a new goalkeeper and Erik ten Hag is keen to bring in Onana as the long-term replacement to David De Gea who has just become a free agent and the club is yet to hold talks with him over a new contract.
Onana moved to Inter from Ajax on a free transfer last summer and the 27-year-old had a great season with the Serie A giants, reaching the Champions League final. He played in 41 games for Inter during the 22/23 season and he managed to keep 19 clean sheets while conceding only 36 goals. As per TransferMarkt, his current market valuation is €35 million.
Will Andre Onana snub Man United and join Al Nassr?
Manchester United have just secured the signing of Mason Mount and fresh reports are suggesting they will now make a formal offer for the Inter keeper.
However, before they can make their first move Al Nassr have made an enquiry about Onana and this could be a major setback for the EPL side.
United’s initial offer is expected to be around €45 million, but Inter Milan are demanding €60 million for their prized goalkeeper. Obviously, Man United would have gone into a series of negotiations regarding the fee but if Al Nassr decides to enter the race then €60 million is no problem for the Middle Eastern side.
A bunch of top talents have been moving to the Saudi league and more are expected to follow. The likes of Benzema, Kante and Ruben Neves have all headed to the Middle East and with the kind of wages these clubs are paying, it won’t be a surprise if Andre Onana snubs Man United and joins Al Nassr.
Despite his disciplinary issues, Onana will be a great upgrade to David De Gea but the major question will be if Man United are willing to spend €55-60 million for the 27-year-old. They have already spent around €70 million on Mount and they still need to sign a centre-forward and another midfielder, at least.
However, the saving grace for United is that Al Nassr has just enquired about the player’s availability so their interest is still not concrete. They currently have David Ospina as their No 1 keeper who joined them last year on a free transfer so logically, they need not spend so much money on Andre Onana but with the amount of money that the Saudi teams have, they can afford to revamp their squad every alternate transfer window.
The keeper will hope to reunite with his former Ajax manager at Old Trafford but if Al Nassr offers him a crazy salary package then it won’t be a surprise at all if the Inter man rejects Manchester United.