Andre Onana: Inter Milan confirm signing of Cameroon goalkeeper from Ajax

Inter Milan have announced the signing of goalkeeper Andre Onana on a free transfer from Ajax.

The 26-year-old Cameroon custodian, who had turned down a contract extension with the Dutch side, has been unveiled as a Nerazzurri player, though the Serie A giants did not reveal how long he had signed for.

“Andre [Onana] is now adding another stop on his journey,” Inter revealed the unveiling of Onana on the club's official website, adding: “From the village of Nkol Ngok in Yaounde to Barcelona and Amsterdam, Onana is now in Milan.

“His connection with Samuel Eto’o is even stronger, as Andre is the fourth Cameroonian to play for Inter, following in the footsteps of compatriots Eto’o, Pierre Wome, and Daniel Maa Boumsong.

“In terms of making history, the player is set to become the first-ever African goalkeeper to get the nod for the Nerazzurri.

“Welcome to Inter, Andre!”

Speaking for the first time after making the move, Onana confirmed Eto’o's influence to join Inter and vowed to write his own history at the club.

“I’m very happy to be part of this great Club and this family, which is a great institution,” Onana told the same portal.

“What more can you say about a Club that has done it all? Being here is amazing, and we hope to achieve important objectives in the future.

“I have a fantastic relationship with Eto’o, and we even played together at San Siro. We’ve talked about Inter on several occasions, both when I was on international duty and at other times, too.

“He always spoke very highly of this Club and told me that Inter would be perfect for me given the way I play. That’s why when I heard about the offer from Inter – a great Club that was interested in me – I never had any doubts. Being here is fantastic, I’m really happy.”

In his message to the new fans, Onana said: “Obviously, I want to thank you all for all of your support and all the messages I’ve received. I know that there was disappointment at missing out on the league title, but the next few seasons will be better.

“We’ll fight to win everything, both in Italy and abroad, because this team and this Club deserve the best and, with the players we have, we need to think big, as has always been the case. So have confidence in us.”

Born in Nkol Ngok,Onana joined Barcelona in 2010, after starting out at the Samuel Eto'o Foundation. In early January 2015, it was announced that he would join Dutch club Ajax in July 2015.

The transfer was brought forward later that month and he made his debut for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie in February 2015. He signed a new contract with Ajax in May 2017, running until 2021 and in March 2019 he signed a further new contract, until June 2022.

In February 2021, Onana was banned from playing for 12 months by Uefa after testing positive for Furosemide, a banned substance and it was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in June.

He managed 214 matches across all competitions for Ajax and won three Dutch league titles, two Dutch Cups, and one Dutch Super Cup. He debuted for the Indomitable Lions during a 2-1 friendly win against Gabon in September 2016.