Inter Milan Hold Firm on Onana Bid | OneFootball

Inter Milan Rejects Manchester United’s Audacious Bid for Onana

The Old Trafford Dilemma

In the hallowed corridors of Old Trafford, there’s an air of expectancy. The clock ticks as Manchester United scours the market to fill the void left by David de Gea’s contract expiry. Eyes have now turned to the exquisite Andre Onana, whose sublime glovesmanship under Erik ten Hag at Ajax made Europe take notice.

The Red Devils are notoriously tenacious in their pursuit, but on this occasion, their initial bid was met with a cold shoulder from Inter Milan. United presented an offer of €40 million with an additional €6m in add-ons for the Cameroonian prodigy, but the Italians are clutching onto their starlet tighter than a miser to his last penny.

Onana’s Star Shines in Europe

The goalkeeping maestro’s distribution in June’s Champions League final was the stuff of dreams, even overshadowing Manchester City’s Ederson despite Inter’s narrow 1-0 defeat. Piero Ausilio, Inter Milan’s sporting director, fiercely guards the value of Onana, the club’s jewel, and demands a fee reflecting Onana’s newfound status.

“As of today, the proposals are not at the level we expected,” Ausilio candidly expressed. “In this moment, he’s our goalkeeper and Andre is a key player for us – we’d like to keep him, then we’ll see what happens. We wait for him on 13 July for pre-season.”

An Old Trafford Lifeline?

Football Transfers reports that Onana has an xTV of €40.1m according to their in-house algorithm. Manchester United might believe their bid was not far from the mark. However, the Glazer family’s lack of equity investment in recent years means the purse strings at Old Trafford are tighter than usual. They have already splashed £55m on Mason Mount from Chelsea, leaving a summer budget that needs to be carefully managed.

One intriguing avenue could be deploying Harry Maguire as an Old Trafford Trojan Horse. The stalwart defender, currently under a cloud at United, holds a €27.6m valuation, as per Football Transfers. The Italians displayed a keen interest in Maguire during the January window, but Ten Hag held firm. Following Inter Milan’s loss of Milan Skriniar to PSG, they could renew their efforts to acquire Maguire as part of a deal for Onana.

As the transfer window unfolds, the intensity is bound to heighten. Will Manchester United pry away the sparkling Onana? Or will the Italian giants keep their sentinel intact? Only time will reveal.