Man Utd and Chelsea battle over €40m summer signing

Tom Weber

• 31 Mar 2023 09:45 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are said to want Inter star Andre Onana, but they are not the only team vying for his services.

The Cameroonian goalkeeper has been a standout in Serie A this season, becoming a popular figure at the San Siro. This wasn't a foregone conclusion when he arrived, however.

After being forced to spend nine months on the sidelines due to his drugs ban, Onana made the switch from Ajax to Inter on a free transfer last summer. Few knew what to expect after such a long spell away from the professional game.

Yet the 26-year-old proved that he hadn't missed a beat, displacing the legendary Samir Handanovic and evolving into a real fan favourite. His crucial saves against Porto in the Champions League helped Inter reach the semi-finals, and those performances, reports Gazzetta dello Sport, solidified Onana's place on Chelsea's transfer shortlist.

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Premier League interest

Onana has become arguably the top target for every major side currently in the market for a goalkeeper. Indeed, both Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be eyeing the Cameroonian shot-stopper; at the latter, he would reunite with his old Ajax coach Erik ten Hag.

According to the Gazzetta, David de Gea's new contract won't be a roadblock, with Ten Hag reportedly looking to Onana to "feed internal competition." At Chelsea, too, the goalkeeper has admirers. Technical director Lawrence Stewart already wanted to sign Onana at his previous club, Monaco.

Inter don't necessarily wan't to sell, but the owners likely won't be able to resist the prospect of a sizeable profit if the valuation of at least €40 million is met as Inter's economic situation hasn't been particularly impressive in recent times.

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In fact, if reports are to be believed, a transfer to Chelsea could pave the way for some out-of-favour players to head the other way, namely Romelu Lukaku, who is understood to want to stay in Milan, and also once-highly-rated midfielder/defender Trevoh Chalobah.