Manchester United have opened negotiations to sign Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana after finally confirming Mason Mount’s £55m move to Old Trafford.
The move for Onana comes after contract talks with David de Gea broke down and is proof that Erik ten Hag no longer has sufficient trust in the Spain international to start next season as his undisputed number one.
A first offer of around £38m was lodged on Wednesday but Inter Milan want closer to £50m to part with the Cameroon international.
i understands Onana wants the move and there is hope from both parties that a compromise can be agreed in the coming days. The 27-year-old previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax.
As i reported last week, talks will resume with De Gea after he got married over the weekend but there is uncertainty about the goalkeeping department.
They are open to selling Dean Henderson, who was on loan at Nottingham Forest, but if the Onana deal cannot be agreed he may end up staying at Old Trafford.
The club will hope for a similar level of enthusiasm from Onana that helped Mount push his move through, with director of football John Murtough making a specific reference to the player’s “strong desire” to move.
That is what enabled England international Mount to eventually seal the transfer from Chelsea as Ten Hag secured one of his priority signings.
He prizes Mount’s versatility, technique and football intelligence and believes he can move Manchester United’s midfield up another level.
Mount has signed a five-year contract with the option of a sixth year and has been handed the club’s iconic number seven shirt in a ringing endorsement of Ten Hag’s faith in him.
George Best, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham have all worn the shirt and it was first offered to him in talks with Ten Hag as a show of faith in how highly the Manchester United manager rates him.
Mount could be handed his Manchester United debut in Oslo next week, when Ten Hag’s side open their pre-season campaign at the Ullevaal Stadium against Leeds.
The Red Devils return for pre-season training on Thursday with a number of issues still unresolved, not least the ownership situation – which continues to drag on with no sign of clarity.
Despite rumours which were sparked partly by Rio Ferdinand of an imminent announcement of Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani as the preferred bidder, sources close to that bid say they remain “in the dark”.
Those close to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group also told i they have heard nothing substantive for weeks.
While both bidders want a resolution the Glazers are understood to believe the club can operate efficiently and effectively in the transfer market while a decision is made.
