Manchester United have set their sights on David de Gea's replacement, with Inter Milan's Andre Onana reportedly being lined up for a move to reunite with Erik ten Hag.
United are reported to have withdrawn an offer of a new contract handed to De Gea, the Spaniard has entered the final days of his £375,000 per week deal after 12 years at the club. The revised offer was believed to include a significant wage cut, before being withdrawn entirely, leaving De Gea on the hunt for a new club.
The 32-year-old is now set to officially leave the club on June 30, with his replacement set to be sought . The main name in the frame is Onana, with the Inter 'keeper having previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, where he was the Dutchman's first choice for the majority of his successful reign in Amsterdam.
The Daily Mail report that Ten Hag's reservations over De Gea's long-term role as his number one caused a change of heart, with Onana, priced at £50 million, now thought to have emerged as the club's outstanding candidate to be their new first-choice goalkeeper.
The 27-year-old has emerged as the new main target ahead of the likes of Porto's Diogo Costa, Brentford's David Raya and Anderlecht's rising star Bart Verbruggen.
The Cameroonian was one of the outstanding goalkeepers in last season's Champions League, with seven clean sheets in Inter's run to the final, as well as making the most saves in the competition.
While being an able shot-stopper, Onana is also renowned for his ability with the ball at his feet, having come through the famed Ajax academy, where technical skills are valued above other attributes. This is an area where De Gea was often been exposed last season, with United often forced to play the ball long due to the Spaniard's apparent discomfort distributing the ball short to his centre-backs.
De Gea won the Premier League's Golden Glove award last season, having kept the most clean sheets in the league, but Erik ten Hag has previously outlined modern football's requirements for more technical skills from goalkeepers.
Ten Hag explained his stance earlier this season: "It's not what I want [top footwork], it's more what top football demands nowadays." He continued. “If you observe teams, you have to be capable of playing from the back and use your keeper as a plus one. Otherwise it's simple for opponents to put you under pressure."
Onana would provide the perfect opportunity for this, with his commitment to playing the ball short even seeing him involved in a bust-up with his Cameroon manager, Rigobert Song.
His dedication to playing out from the back got him into trouble, with an argument alleged to be regarding selection and Cameroon's style of play resulting in him being sent home from the World Cup last year.
