The 2023 summer transfer window just got a lot more exciting for Manchester United and their community of supporters. Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana becomes the second signing of the summer, behind Mason Mount. The 27-year-old Cameroonian moves over on a deal worth (€55m) £47.2m.
All that’s left to do is a medical evaluation and the final signatures on some paperwork. More on the contract deals, via a Tweet from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano embedded below.
Understand André Onana will travel to Manchester later today, plan confirmed! Understand he will land in England around 7pm UK time. ???? #MUFC
? Medical/contract signing between Wednesday and Tuesday.
? Contract until 2028 plus option +1.
? €51m fee plus €4m add ons. pic.twitter.com/ZciH33ZT3I
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 18, 2023
Sky Sports breaks down the specifics, stating that “the deal including an initial fee of €51m (£43.8m), plus €4m (£3.4m) in potential add-ons, depending on individual and club performance.”
For the first time since since 2011, United will have a number one not named David de Gea. (For a look at where he might go now, click here). An added bonus to the Onana deal, he won’t be taken away from United for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, as he’s retired from international football.
That’s going to be a big advantage for the Red Devils, who finished third in the Premier League this past season. When AFCON gets here, in mid-season, other teams will be without the services of key players for the tournament. Plus he’s the perfect kind of keeper for the what manager Erik ten Hag likes to do, and the systems he likes to employ.
For more analysis on Onana, and how he fits in at United, go here, here and here.
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.”
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