Inter’s decision not to sign Romelu Lukaku this summer has sparked rumours that the club don’t need to sell Andre Onana to Manchester United anymore.
Reports emerged today that the Nerazzurri had decided not to continue pursuing the Belgian striker, pulling out of the race due to their unhappiness over his talks with Juventus and his recent distance from them.
In the meantime, Inter are also ready to close out the sale of Onana to Manchester United, reportedly agreeing to sell him for €50m plus add-ons.
Inter’s decision to give up on Lukaku has now caused rumours that the club could still pull out of the sale of Onana, allowing them to retain the goalkeeper as they no longer need to invest in the Chelsea striker.
This is incredibly unlikely for a number of reasons. The first is that selling Onana for €50m plus add-ons represents a huge capital gain for Inter, who signed the 27-year-old on a free transfer just a year ago.
The Nerazzurri are still being closely monitored by UEFA regarding Financial Fair Play, and they signed a four-year settlement back in September, agreeing to follow certain parameters in order to avoid a hefty fine.
The second reason is that the club still want to pick up a new centre forward this summer and their preferred target now is Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun, who is expected to cost at least €40m.
Multiple media outlets including Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Onana’s move to Manchester United is essentially done and that an official announcement will arrive imminently.
Inter have already lined up a replacement for the Cameroonian goalkeeper, Bayern Munich’s Yann Sommer. The Swiss shot stopper has agreed to the terms of a contract with the Nerazzurri, who are now discussing a fee with the Bundesliga giants.
The club are also working on a deal for Shakhtar Donestk’s Anatoliy Trubin, who will play a backup role following Samir Handanovic’s exit.
Please do not sell Onana! It will cost €6m for Sommer (a temporary replacement) and at least €10m for Trubin. Onana’s quality & experience is worth more than the profit from this sale. He wins at least 3-4 games Inter would otherwise lose with a lesser Keeper.