Rio Ferdinand believes Andre Onana is the man to replace David de Gea at Manchester United as the ex-defender believes a stumbling block for the deal could be Inter Milan's valuation.
De Gea has left United after his Old Trafford contract expired at the end of June. The Spaniard could yet agree fresh terms with the Reds as talks continue over his future, but he is free to move on to pastures new.
United are in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer, regardless of whether De Gea remains at Old Trafford or not. Onana is a candidate to be the club's next number one.
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Ferdinand has pinpointed Onana as the man he believes should fill the gloves left by De Gea's departure. The former United captain spoke in glowing terms of the Inter stopper and his capabilities at the back, as he detailed a conversation he had with Manchester City boss about the goalkeeper in the build-up to the climax of the Champions League.
Ferdinand also spoke with former United team-mate Edwin van der Sar about the goalkeeper's time at Ajax and he 'waxed lyrical' about Onana. The ex-defender believes the only stumbling block over the move will be finances, from both clubs' perspectives.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: "The manager wants a new goalkeeper. If the club, which it looks like, have said 'David, you're done' that's fair enough. I don't care about that, that's fine, he'll have to go and find himself a new club.
"Bigger and better players back in the day have been told to leave Man United, that's fine. I think David will be okay. That's cool, but there's a way in which you do it.
"Moving on to who is coming to replace him, Onana 100 per cent. I went to watch him live in the Champions League semi-final and the confidence this boy has got.
"I spoke to Pep Guardiola in an interview days before the semi-final and he was talking about potentially playing against Onana. He was like 'you've got to contend with this goalkeeper now, not many goalkeepers you've got to prepare for, we press high. Normally if you go back to the goalkeeper, we've done our job and that's it, but this guy, he's like an outfield player'.
"The confidence, he comes out playing on the edge of his box and almost on the edge of the centre circle, and he wants to be involved in the build-up. He's a proper footballer.
"He's a great shot-stopper. He made a couple of great saves in the final, but this guy is a young keeper, I've seen him at Ajax before that. Edwin van der Sar, I spoke to him numerous times about him before Man United's interest and he waxed lyrical about him. He knew this is the prototype for a goalkeeper.
"I'd be delighted if he comes, but my priority is a number nine.
"I think they're going to go for him, I think he's going to be someone they're going to try and get, but the problem is Inter Milan's pricing and Man United ain't got an open chequebook. It's not like before when there was no FFP. There's an amount of money that Man United have to spend, unless they start selling a multitude of players to bring that budget up."
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