Manchester United sign goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan
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Onana joined Inter in July 2022 from Ajax Amsterdam and quickly became first-choice.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Manchester United have signed Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan on a five-year contract with the option of a further year, the English Premier League club announced on Thursday.
Sky Sports said United will pay €51 million (S$75 million) plus €4 million in add-ons for the 27-year-old, who will be reunited with former boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
“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, who has kept 104 clean sheets in 255 appearances throughout his club career, said in a 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.
“Manchester United has a long history of incredible goalkeepers, and I will now give everything to create my own legacy in the coming years.
“I am excited by the opportunity to work again with Erik ten Hag, and I can’t wait to play my part in the success I know he is determined to deliver at this great football club.”
United have been looking for a new first-choice goalkeeper after Spaniard David de Gea’s contract expired
Onana joined Inter last July from Ajax Amsterdam and quickly became first choice.
He was a central figure in a campaign that ended with them winning the Italian Cup and Super Cup.
They also reached the Champions League final, losing to treble winners Manchester City.
It was with Ajax in Europe’s elite club competition that Onana came to prominence as an integral part of the team who went from the early preliminary knockout rounds to the 2019 semi-finals before a dramatic elimination by Tottenham Hotspur.
Onana looked destined to be the long-term first-choice custodian for Cameroon but decided to retire from international duty after playing just one match at the 2022 World Cup, where he was suspended for disciplinary reasons. He won 34 caps for the national team.
Across the city, Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez has completed a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV said early on Friday.
The 32-year-old scored 78 goals and made 59 assists in 236 appearances in all competitions for City, and won 11 trophies at the club, including four league titles following his move from Leicester City in 2018.
Meanwhile, former Spain international defender Jordi Alba has signed for Inter Miami, where he will join up with former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi till 2024, the Major League Soccer club said on Thursday.
The 34-year-old will also link up with Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, another former Barca player, as Inter, co-owned by former England great David Beckham, seek to reverse their flagging MLS fortunes.
Back in Spain, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti moved on Thursday to tamp down discussion of his possible future move to the Brazilian national team, saying he was focused on the Spanish giants’ upcoming season.
“I will never talk about Brazil, about what is going to happen.
“I am the coach of Real and I am staying here,” he insisted.
Two weeks ago, Brazilian Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues had indicated that the Italian was poised to become the first foreigner in almost 60 years to coach the Selecao after his Real contract expires in June 2024. REUTERS, AFP
