Man Utd suffer crushing blow in shock Onana replacement pursuit

Cameron Smith

• 31 Mar 2024 18:26 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s hopes of signing Andriy Lunin as a replacement for Andre Onana have been dashed following reports that he is set to sign a contract extension at Real Madrid.

Lunin was named as a Man Utd transfer target by reports in Spain, with the 24-year-old eyed as a shock replacement for Onana.

The Cameroon international endured a tricky start to life at Old Trafford, but he now appears at home and settled as Man Utd’s first-choice goalkeeper.

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As a result, the Red Devils’ pursuit of Lunin was slightly unexpected, despite the fact he has usurped Kepa Arrizabalaga as Carlo Ancelotti’s number one ‘keeper amid Thibaut Courtois’ injury troubles.

However, Fabrizio Romano has delivered a telling blow in Man Utd’s bid to sign the Ukrainian.

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What has been said?

“Real Madrid are now confident to reach final agreement with Andriy Lunin over new deal,” Romano posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Real want Lunin to stay and be part of their project, even if they wait for Courtois as n1 GK again from next season.

“Contract proposal, ready as revealed two weeks ago.”

Lunin’s current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu runs until 2025, meaning Real Madrid may be forced to sell him if he doesn’t put pen to paper on the new contract that has been offered to him.

If Lunin joins Man Utd, it would be interesting to see if he would displace Onana. While he has filled in admirably with Courtois missing the entire season due to an ACL injury, Lunin doesn’t have the top level pedigree that Onana possesses and Erik ten Hag would have a selection headache on the cards if Lunin arrives.

However, he now looks set to stay at Real Madrid, despite the fact he will become the back-up goalkeeper when Courtois returns to action next season.