Manchester United has announced the signing of Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan in a deal that could rise to £47 million ($57 million).
Onana has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club. He will take over as the number one custodian at Old Trafford from David de Gea.
United will pay £44 million up front for the 27-year-old player, with another £3.5 million due based on how well he plays.
“To join Manchester United is an incredible honour and I have worked hard all my life to get to this moment, overcoming many obstacles along the way,” Onana said in a United statement.
“Walking out at Old Trafford to defend our goal and contribute to the team will be another amazing experience. This is the start of a new journey for me, with new teammates, and new ambitions to fight for.”
How excited is @AndreyOnana to join United? 👀
💬 His first interview as part of our open training show reveals all…#MUFC || #MUTOUR23
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 22, 2023
After 12 years with United, De Gea left the team earlier this month.
The Spaniard had trouble with Erik ten Hag’s preference to play out from the back, and Onana seems to fit the Dutch coach’s way of thinking much better.
Onana joined Barcelona when he was 14 years old. Samuel Eto’o’s academy in his home country was where he was discovered.
After not making the first team at Camp Nou, Onana joined Ajax in 2015. Under Ten Hag, he won three Eredivisie titles in the Netherlands.
But a doping ban in 2021 for taking a banned diuretic shook up his career for a while.
Onana said he accidentally took a drug that was meant for his wife, so the Court of Arbitration for Sport cut his ban from one year to nine months.
When his contract with Ajax ran out a little over a year ago, he moved to Inter for free.
Onana only played in 24 Serie A games because he shared goalkeeping duties with Samir Handanovic in Samir’s last year at Inter.
But he never missed a game in the Champions League. In 13 games, he helped Inter keep eight clean sheets and reach the final for the first time in 13 years.
Onana played in Cameroon’s first World Cup game last year, but he was kicked off the team for a rule violation and didn’t play again. He then announced his retirement from international soccer.
He is the second player United has bought during the offseason. England midfielder Mason Mount came from Chelsea earlier in July for an initial £55 million.
Onana could play for United for the first time when they play Arsenal in a friendly game on Saturday in New Jersey.
Ten Hag also wants to bring in a forward before the new Premier League season starts.
Last season, United won their first trophy in six years when they won the League Cup. This season, Rasmus Hojlund, a Danish striker for Atalanta, has been linked to a move to United.
