- Onana is already in Manchester
- Set to sign for United
- Admits Man Utd move was "irresistible"
WHAT HAPPENED? The goalkeeper has already landed in Manchester to seal histransfer from Inter to United. It has been reported that the Red Devils will pay €51 million (£43.8m/$57.3m) in an initial fee, plus an extra €4m (£3.4m/$4.5m) in add-ons for the Cameroonian.
Before being formally unveiled as a United player, Onana spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport,where he admitted that the move to the Premier League was "irresistible", but at the same time claimed that he would have been happy to continue at Inter if the transfer had fallen through.
WHAT THEY SAID: “The important thing is to be honest and always tell people the truth. I am a person who always wants new challenges," he said. "Playing in the Premier League and for a club like United is irresistible. All parties wanted this to happen. But what matters is that if I had stayed, I would have been happy because I never had any problems at Inter."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Onana is set to reunite with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, and he has hailed the Dutch manager as a "master".
"Now I really want to start this new experience, exciting and with a coach who for me is a master," he added. "I will go to a great league and a great club, which has a huge history just like that of Inter: I will start from scratch and give everything every day to show the new fans who I am.
The 27-year-old missed out on the Champions League trophy by a whisker after Inter's defeat to Manchester City in the 2022-23 final, but he remains determined to win it with his new club.
“Pride and sadness. You don’t know how much I would have loved to bring the trophy to Milan, celebrate it with our people," he said. "We were close to touching it, we deserved it: we played against City head-on, only details were missing, but this is football… Personally, I hope to win the Champions League with United, but I also hope that Inter replay a final and win it."
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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT? Onana is all set to be presented officially as a United player after he completes his medical at the club's training ground and signs all the relevant documents. He is expected to join the club'spre-season tourof the United States.