Ten Hag 'promised Onana' by Manchester United

Stuart Telford

• 2 Jul 2023 13:09 BST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag has been promised the signing of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana by Manchester United's hierarchy according to Corriere dello Sport.

United are in the market for a new No.1 after letting David de Gea's contract expire, and Onana is understood to be Ten Hag's top transfer target for the position.

The pair previously worked together at Ajax, where they won the Dutch domestic treble in 2019, and the Dutchman has remains a keen admirer of the Cameroonian shot-stopper since they parted ways last summer.

READ: Man Utd's De Gea stance revealed amid Onana talks

Onana joined Inter Milan on a free transfer, and kept 19 clean sheets in all competitions last season as the Nerazzurri made it to the Champions League final, in which they were edged 1-0 by Manchester City.

Onana's asking price

Ten Hag joined United, and although he won the EFL Cup and steered the side to a third-place finish, he inherited a problem in goal, with De Gea's inability to play out from the back costing his side on numerous occasions.

United's transfer business is yet to click into full gear this summer as the Glazer's sale to Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe rumbles on, but Ten Hag needn't worry about his new No.1.

READ: Man Utd finally showing sense in the transfer market with De Gea u-turn

"Ten Hag was promised that Onana, his goalkeeper at Ajax, would arrive [at Manchester United," reports Peter Guadagno of Corriere dello Sport.

"United had imagined that €40m would be enough, but it was promptly made clear that at that starting point Inter wouldn't even sit down to negotiate. There is confidence that the transfer fee will reach at least €50m."

Onana has an ETV of €40.1m per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, and unlike De Gea, is just as good with his feet as he is his hands, as evidenced by his fine distribution out from the back in the Champions League final.