Euro giants won’t stop ‘masterful’ £42m star from joining Manchester United

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Inter Milan will not block Andre Onana’s move to the Premier League if Manchester United pay a ‘substantial’ fee for the Serie A glovesman.

As things stand, the only goalkeepers at Erik ten Hag’s disposal come July 1^st will be a wantaway Dean Henderson and a 37-year-old Tom Heaton. And even Heaton is facing an uncertain future with Hull City confirming their interest this week.

Some much-needed clarity cannot come soon enough, then, with the next few days likely to be crucial in Ten Hag’s attempts to construct a Manchester United side more in-keeping with his possession-based image.

In replacing David de Gea with Andre Onana, Ten Hag could be about to have his very own ‘Joe Hart for Ederson moment’, taking a leaf out of Pep Guardiola’s book by replacing a long-serving shot-stopper with a goalkeeper who’s passing range would make even Andrea Pirlo blush.

Man United hold talks with Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana

Andre Onana played under Ten Hag at Ajax. He honed his supreme technical ability in Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy. And with cash-strapped Inter potentially willing to accept offers of around £42 million, there is a lot to like for a Man United side operating on a limited budget as the tiring takeover saga rumbles on.

Gianluca di Marzio reports that Onana’s agent was in Manchester for talks this week. Inter, The Standard add, ‘won’t stand in his way’; with the 26-year-old Cameroon international ‘ready to move’ to the Premier League.

In truth, they can’t really afford to.

Onana appears to have overtaken Porto’s Diogo Costa as United’s leading goalkeeper target in recent days. That may have something to do with the fact that Ten Hag knows and trusts him – the Dutchman called Onana ‘masterful’ during their time together in Holland – while Onana’s outstanding performance in the Champions League final defeat to Manchester City served to add another layer of shine to his already glittering reputation.

United legend Gary Neville, meanwhile, agrees that the time to move on from De Gea is probably now.

“They do need to get rid of him,” Neville tells Sky Sports’ The Overlap podcast. “Either now or if they’ve not got the money then obviously a year later is the maximum.

“I agree with Roy (Keane). A goalkeeper is everything to a league (title challenge). You have to have a brilliant goalkeeper. You have to have an unbelievable goalkeeper.”